连 (lián): to connect

Meanings

1 to connect
2 even (including)
3 in succession

Characters

连

lián

to connect; to link; even (including)

Contains 辶 (movement radical) + 车 (vehicle) — vehicles linked together in a convoy.

Examples

连我都不知道。

Lián wǒ dōu bù zhīdào.

Even I don't know.

他连饭都没吃就走了。

Tā lián fàn dōu méi chī jiù zǒu le.

He left without even eating.

连续下了三天雨。

Liánxù xià le sān tiān yǔ.

It rained for three days in a row.

Tips

grammar

连...都/也... is a key pattern meaning 'even...': 连小孩都知道 = even children know. It emphasizes the surprising or extreme nature of something.

usage

连 as 'even' is one of the most useful grammar patterns at HSK 3 level. Master this pattern early!

Components

radical

辶 chuò

walk; movement (radical form)

Wrap-around indexing radical 辶 (walk/motion, abbreviated 辵). It curls under and to the left of 车, contributing motion: this isn't just a cart, it's a cart in transit. The compound says 'vehicles linked, moving along together' — connection in motion = 连.

semantic

车 chē

vehicle; cart

Inner element 车 (vehicle, simplified from 車). The original 連 showed a person hauling a cart, the prototypical image of things linked together. Modern 连 keeps the cart inside as the central image: vehicles in a row, hooked one behind the next.