姻 (yīn): marriage

Meanings

他们的婚姻已经持续了三十年。

Tāmen de hūnyīn yǐjīng chíxù le sānshí nián.

Their marriage has lasted thirty years.

人们说他们俩是天定的姻缘。

Rénmen shuō tāmen liǎ shì tiāndìng de yīnyuán.

People say the two of them are a match made by fate.

usage

姻 is bound. The everyday word is 婚姻 (marriage); 姻缘 is a fated marriage match, and 姻亲 means relatives by marriage.

radical

女 nǚ

woman; female

The woman radical 女 fits 姻, which historically focused on the woman's side of a marriage union.

phonetic

因 yīn

because; to rely on

因 supplies the sound yīn exactly; it serves as the phonetic element and adds no independent meaning here.

姻 yīn