涟

漣

lián

noun

Meanings

1 ripple
2 tearful; flowing (of tears)

Characters

涟

lián

ripple

Examples

微风吹过，湖面泛起涟漪。

Wēifēng chuī guò, húmiàn fànqǐ liányī.

A breeze blew over and ripples spread across the lake.

这消息在她心里激起了涟漪。

Zhè xiāoxi zài tā xīnli jīqǐ le liányī.

The news stirred ripples in her heart.

Tips

usage

Most often in 涟漪 (ripples), used both literally for water and figuratively for a small stir of emotion. The doubled form 涟涟 describes tears streaming down.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water

The three-drop water radical, the side form of 水. It marks this as a water word, here the small waves on a surface.

phonetic

连 lián

to connect; in succession

Gives the sound, read 连 on its own and unchanged here. Its sense of things following one after another faintly echoes ripples spreading in succession.

Stroke Order

涟 lián

涟