I understand the meaning of this phrase, but I have a hard time understanding
how it's constructed.

In phrases like それで or というわけで you have a noun plus the particle で. This looks
superficially similar, except that それが元(です) is a sentence, not a noun (or noun
phrase).

What's going on here? Is there a bunch of other stuff being left unspoken?
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2014-02-07T15:22:32.880
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2015-12-14T16:23:14.743
2015-04-18T10:04:49.243
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question
grammar syntax
How to analyze それが元で?
Might be worthwhile rendering it into partial English:

```

    So, with that as the 元, ...
    
```

And 元 can mean foundation, start, beginning, entranceway, original,... it
could be rendered many ways.

Essentially, this construction requires that there be a preceding
sentence/clause/word to point to. (それが)

You could also see it as

```

    それが元となって, or それを元として, ...
    
```

So you're wondering if it's related to それで or というわけで

Kind-of. というわけで is literally "by way of the [mentioned] reason" or "for that
reason" in more natural English. The で in the phrase you posted can also be
interpreted as "by way of [this] 元... (something occurred) "

Well you asked this over a month ago, but I wrote out this response so, I'll
post it in case it's useful to someone down the line.
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2015-03-18T20:16:22.980
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2015-10-15T15:34:04.547
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answer