原来
yuánlái
originally; it turns out that; so that's why
adverb
Example
原来你是老师，难怪你这么了解学生。
Yuánlái nǐ shì lǎoshī, nánguài nǐ zhème liǎojiě xuéshēng.
So you're a teacher! No wonder you understand students so well.
This versatile word expresses discovery or realization. It can mean 'originally' when referring to past states, or 'it turns out that' when expressing newfound understanding.