有缘千里来相会

有緣千里來相會

yǒuyuánqiānlǐláixiānghuì

phrase

Meanings

1 if fate binds them, people a thousand li apart will still meet
2 those destined to meet will meet, no matter the distance
3 a classic saying about fated encounters

Characters

fate / karmic affinity

li (Chinese mile)

Examples

我们在海外相遇，真是有缘千里来相会。

Wǒmen zài hǎiwài xiāngyù, zhēn shì yǒu yuán qiān lǐ lái xiānghuì.

Meeting each other overseas — truly, if fate binds us, a thousand li is no distance.

老人笑着说，有缘千里来相会，无缘对面不相逢。

Lǎorén xiàozhe shuō, yǒu yuán qiān lǐ lái xiānghuì, wú yuán duìmiàn bù xiāngféng.

The old man smiled and said: with fate, people meet across a thousand li; without it, they pass each other face to face.

Tips

history

A proverb popularized by Ming-dynasty vernacular fiction, most famously 《水浒传》 and 《警世通言》, and enshrined in the household anthology 《增广贤文》. The standard pairing is 有缘千里来相会，无缘对面不相逢 — 'with fate, a thousand li cannot keep two apart; without it, they pass unmet face to face.'

usage

缘 (yuán) here is the Buddhist-inflected sense of 'karmic affinity' — the invisible thread said to bind people destined to meet. Commonly used today at reunions, chance encounters, or online introductions.

Stroke Order

有 yǒu

缘 yuán

千 qiān

里 lǐ

来 lái

相 xiāng

会 huì