缘 (yuán) — (in compounds) fate, predestined relationship; (bound form) edge, fringe; (bound form, literary) along, by way of
Definition
At HSK 7, 缘 is almost always seen in compounds (缘分, 姻缘) meaning 'fate' or a predestined bond. The 'edge' and 'along' senses (边缘, 缘溪而上) are literary or bound-form uses — learners will rarely need them in production.
bound form
(in compounds) fatepredestined relationshipedgefringe(bound form, literary) alongby way of
Examples
- 。Tā men zhī jiān de yuán fèn hěn shēn.The fateful bond between them is very deep.
- 。Zhè fú huà de biān yuán hěn mó hu.The edges of this painting are blurry.
- 缘，。Tā yuán xī ér shàng, qù xún zhǎo shuǐ de yuán tóu.He went upstream along the creek to find the source of the water.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 緣; 缘 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
彖
彖tuàn緣⁰yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 緣 puts 糸 (silk) beside 彖, which gives the sound; the simplified 缘 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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