yuán
noun #8,076

Meanings

  1. 1 cause
  2. 2 fate
  3. 3 edge
  4. 4 along

Examples

Yuánfèn
fate; predestined affinity
Biānyuán
edge; margin

Tips

usage
(silk) — the invisible thread of fate connecting people

Components

radical
silk; thread (radical form of 糸)
Silk-thread radical on the left — the side-form of . Indexes in the cord family with 线 line, rope. Originally named the silk binding sewn along the edge of a garment; from "hem" came "edge, border" and the famous metaphysical sense of fated connection.
phonetic
tuàn
judgment; running pig
Right side supplies the sound through a major drift: tuàn → yuán. pictures a wild boar in motion and is rare on its own — best known from the I-Ching where it labels judgment commentaries. Pure phonetic role; its imagery has no part in 缘分.

Stroke Order

yuán