缘
cause, fate
At a glance · 缘
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
缘字小篆从糸彖声，为形声字；本义为衣边、因缘，引申为缘分、因为。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
缘本义为衣物边饰，引申为因缘、缘分。
Structure
形声字，左部『糸』为意符，右部『彖』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinyuán
Radical纟
Strokes12
UnicodeU+7F18
Character type形声
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
cause, fate
Yuan is a phonetic-semantic character meaning hem, cause and fate.
Français
cause, destin
Yuan est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant bord, cause et destin.
Español
causa, destino
Yuan es un carácter fonosemántico que significa borde, causa y destino.
العربية
سبب، نصيب
يوان حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الحاشية والسبب والنصيب.
Русский
причина, судьба
Юань — фоносемантический знак, означающий кромку, причину и судьбу.
Common words
- 缘分yuán fēnfate
- 因缘yīn yuáncause