缘
Tap the pinyin to hear it
cause; reason; karma; fate; predestined affinity; margin; hem; edge; along
Formation & memory
Break the character into parts you already know.
How 缘 is formed
Phono-semantic compound (形声字)
纟 meaning “thread” + 彖 sound ()
Components 纟 彖
How to remember it
reason · Heisig RSH #2204
thread + whisk broom + sow
Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.
Words with 缘
The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 有缘无分 | destined to meet but not fated to be together (idiom) | |
| 地缘政治学 | geopolitics | |
| 一面之缘 | (idiom) one-time encounter (e.g. 有一面之緣|有一面之缘[you3 yi1 mian4 zhi1 yuan2] "to have met once … | |
| 边缘地区 | border area | |
| 地缘政治 | geopolitics; geopolitical | |
| 人缘儿 | erhua form of 人緣|人缘[ren2 yuan2] | |
| 无缘无故 | (idiom) no cause or reason; completely uncalled for | |
| 血缘关系 | blood relationship; consanguinity | |
| 边缘人 | marginalized people (not part of mainstream society); marginal man (term coined by social … | |
| 边缘化 | to marginalize; marginalization | |
| 缘木求鱼 | lit. climb a tree to catch a fish (idiom); fig. to attempt the impossible | |
| 亲缘关系 | phylogenetic relationship | |
| 边缘系统 | limbic system | |
| 地缘战略 | geostrategic | |
| 绝缘体 | electrical insulation; heat insulation | |
| 镜花缘 | Jinghua Yuan or Flowers in the Mirror, Qing novel of fantasy and erudition (early 19th cen… | |
| 前缘未了 | one's predestined fate is yet to be fulfilled (idiom) | |
| 人缘 | the quality of one's relationships with other people (e.g. 人緣好|人缘好[ren2 yuan2 hao3] "to be… | |
| 地缘 | geographic situation; geo-(politics etc) | |
| 广结良缘 | to earn people's praise through one's good deeds (idiom) |
Sound family
Characters sharing the sound component 彖 — compare how they read.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 彖 sound part | hog, hedgehog, porcupine | |
| 篆 | seal script; seal, stamp | |
| 蠡 | termite; to bore | |
| 椽 | beams, rafters, supports | |
| 掾 | a general designation of officials |