<p>Working with character mnemonics always has a subjective element.  When I do it, I try to keep five thoughts separate:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What nuance did the creators of the character choose to represent, since some nuances were easier to depict visually than others?</p>
</li>
<li><p>What strategy did they actually use to create the character?</p>
</li>
<li><p>What is the core meaning of the word represented by the character that I will most associate with the character?  This core meaning is very often not the same as the most frequent usage or translation of the character.</p>
</li>
<li><p>What unusual meaning or meanings do I have to work extra to associate with the core meaning I choose?</p>
</li>
<li><p>What strategy will I use to link the apparent components of the modern character to quickly bring to mean the chain of associations in 1-4 above?</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Let's apply these to 缘.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The character designers seem to be trying to represent the decorative fringe or hem pulling along at the edge of a garment, as signaled by the 糸 radical.</p>
</li>
<li><p>The 糸 radical suggested the meaning and 彖 (now, tuàn) was the phonetic part, which worked much better in Old Chinese than in modern Mandarin.</p>
</li>
<li><p>I take the core meaning to be the strings pulling along at the fringe or edge of something.  It is also thought by some that the spoken words 彖 and 沿 were etymologically related.</p>
</li>
<li><p>For the meanings of &quot;fate&quot; and &quot;cause,&quot; I think of the unseen linkages between all of us that lead us around.  For &quot;follow&quot; and &quot;edge,&quot; I just think of the placement of the fringe or hem.</p>
</li>
<li><p>I see a picture of snouted pig with a string in its nose causing it head towards its fate.</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-22T18:17:17.393Z
2024-11-22T18:17:17.393Z
Vegawatcher
<blockquote>
<p>What is an exact meaning of 缘？</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Unfortunately, many, most, words acquire various and different meanings. Knowing one exact meaning of a word will therefore not assist understanding. Only the context, in which the word was used, can help you.</p>
<p>Meanings and words:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it
means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’</p>
<p>’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so
many different things.’</p>
<p>’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s
all.”   ― Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass</p>
</blockquote>
<p>How to visualise 缘：</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If I try to visualise this word &quot;缘&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Visualise a pig on a string:</p>
<p>糹 mì: a thread<br />
彖 tuàn: a pig (the phonetic part)</p>
<p>Giddy up Porkie!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-16T01:37:36.813Z
In order to assist in visualization, please tell us which part of the "pig" is the "string" attached to?
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-16T05:55:19.963Z
There in a wood a piggy-wig stood, with a ring in the end of its nose. Very handy for attaching strings.
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-15T16:59:10.590Z
2024-11-15T16:59:10.590Z
Pedroski
<p>By simply googling: &quot;Yuan, a first-level Chinese character, is pronounced as yuán . Meaning: ① Reason: reason | reason | for no reason | just because I am in this mountain. ② Destiny: a metaphor for the thread of destiny. ③ Edge: edge | outer edge.&quot;</p>
<p>A reply which, incidentally, makes me resolve to try to learn just what the hell Google think they're up to.  I'm shure some of that means something, but it looks more like an entry to a rabbit's burrow than an answer to me.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-14T21:35:01.820Z
2024-11-14T21:35:01.820Z
David Lloyd-Jones
<blockquote>
<p>If I try to visualize this word &quot;缘&quot; - which object, or shape, or item, or action should come to my mind?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The question is clear to me, but the heading caused confusion, The OP is not asking what 缘 means, He is asking how to visualize the abstract word 缘</p>
<p>When we think of a word, an image in our mind is associated with it, which is a way to remember that word better</p>
<p>For words with clear definitions, it is easy to form an image in your mind, for example, when you think of the word &quot;tiger&quot;, you can see a tiger in your head; when you think of the word &quot;fire&quot;, you would think of actual fire burning.</p>
<p>Abstract words don't have a physical appearance, we have to use symbolic images. take the word &quot;brave&quot;, different individuals would have different mental images associated with it. For me I would think of a firefighter entering a burning building; for someone else, it might be the image of a common folk trying to subdue a gunman with bare hands</p>
<p>The word &quot;缘&quot; can mean &quot;edge&quot; as in “邊緣&quot;, but more commonly, it is the word for &quot;fated encounter/relationship&quot; as in &quot;緣份&quot;.</p>
<p>For me, 緣份 is like invisible threads linking everyone across time and space. It is a fatalist idea -- everyone you run into, and every relationship you have is predetermined by fate, as if invisible threads linking you to them. It is all meant to be.</p>
<p>The visual symbol in my mind when I say &quot;緣份&quot;, is a <strong>long thread</strong>, you might have a different mental image for this word. There's no right or wrong, choice, it all depends on personal feelings and the culture of the person in</p>
<p>有緣千里來相會，無緣對面不相逢 - If it is meant to be, we will meet each other even if we are thousands of miles apart; If it is not meant to be, we will not meet even if we are close enough to be face-to-face</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-15T06:21:06.313Z
There are also usages of 缘 in [buddhism](https://ntireader.org/words/7179.html) and [Japanese Kanji](https://www.romajidesu.com/kanji/yukari). It has additional meanings including **cause** and **destiny**.
zrsammy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-15T05:14:39.713Z
2024-11-15T05:40:48.377Z
2024-11-15T05:40:48.377Z
Tang Ho
<p>If I try to visualize this word &quot;缘&quot; - which object, or shape, or item, or action should come to my mind ?
In combinations with other radicals it produces quite different words that makes a bit hard to grasp its basic meaning<br />
Thank you in advance !</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-14T18:29:49.873Z
What do you know it to mean? Why does that prove troublesome? You need to give us a basis to work with.
Mou某
<meaning>
what is an exact meaning of 缘?
# what is an exact meaning of 缘?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-11-14)

If I try to visualize this word "缘" - which object, or shape, or item, or action should come to my mind ?
In combinations with other radicals it produces quite different words that makes a bit hard to grasp its basic meaning  
Thank you in advance !

**Tags:** meaning

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What do you know it to mean? Why does that prove troublesome? You need to give us a basis to work with.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-11-22. Score: 0

Working with character mnemonics always has a subjective element. When I do it, I try to keep five thoughts separate:

1. What nuance did the creators of the character choose to represent, since some nuances were easier to depict visually than others?
2. What strategy did they actually use to create the character?
3. What is the core meaning of the word represented by the character that I will most associate with the character? This core meaning is very often not the same as the most frequent usage or translation of the character.
4. What unusual meaning or meanings do I have to work extra to associate with the core meaning I choose?
5. What strategy will I use to link the apparent components of the modern character to quickly bring to mean the chain of associations in 1-4 above?

Let's apply these to 缘.

1. The character designers seem to be trying to represent the decorative fringe or hem pulling along at the edge of a garment, as signaled by the 糸 radical.
2. The 糸 radical suggested the meaning and 彖 (now, tuàn) was the phonetic part, which worked much better in Old Chinese than in modern Mandarin.
3. I take the core meaning to be the strings pulling along at the fringe or edge of something. It is also thought by some that the spoken words 彖 and 沿 were etymologically related.
4. For the meanings of "fate" and "cause," I think of the unseen linkages between all of us that lead us around. For "follow" and "edge," I just think of the placement of the fringe or hem.
5. I see a picture of snouted pig with a string in its nose causing it head towards its fate.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-11-15. Score: 0

> What is an exact meaning of 缘？

Unfortunately, many, most, words acquire various and different meanings. Knowing one exact meaning of a word will therefore not assist understanding. Only the context, in which the word was used, can help you.

Meanings and words:

> “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it
> means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
>
> ’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so
> many different things.’
>
> ’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s
> all.” ― Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

How to visualise 缘：

> If I try to visualise this word "缘"

Visualise a pig on a string:

糹 mì: a thread  
彖 tuàn: a pig (the phonetic part)

Giddy up Porkie!

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: In order to assist in visualization, please tell us which part of the "pig" is the "string" attached to?  
> **username_3**: There in a wood a piggy-wig stood, with a ring in the end of its nose. Very handy for attaching strings.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2024-11-14. Score: 0

By simply googling: "Yuan, a first-level Chinese character, is pronounced as yuán . Meaning: ① Reason: reason | reason | for no reason | just because I am in this mountain. ② Destiny: a metaphor for the thread of destiny. ③ Edge: edge | outer edge."

A reply which, incidentally, makes me resolve to try to learn just what the hell Google think they're up to. I'm shure some of that means something, but it looks more like an entry to a rabbit's burrow than an answer to me.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2024-11-15. Score: 0

> If I try to visualize this word "缘" - which object, or shape, or item, or action should come to my mind?

The question is clear to me, but the heading caused confusion, The OP is not asking what 缘 means, He is asking how to visualize the abstract word 缘

When we think of a word, an image in our mind is associated with it, which is a way to remember that word better

For words with clear definitions, it is easy to form an image in your mind, for example, when you think of the word "tiger", you can see a tiger in your head; when you think of the word "fire", you would think of actual fire burning.

Abstract words don't have a physical appearance, we have to use symbolic images. take the word "brave", different individuals would have different mental images associated with it. For me I would think of a firefighter entering a burning building; for someone else, it might be the image of a common folk trying to subdue a gunman with bare hands

The word "缘" can mean "edge" as in “邊緣", but more commonly, it is the word for "fated encounter/relationship" as in "緣份".

For me, 緣份 is like invisible threads linking everyone across time and space. It is a fatalist idea -- everyone you run into, and every relationship you have is predetermined by fate, as if invisible threads linking you to them. It is all meant to be.

The visual symbol in my mind when I say "緣份", is a **long thread**, you might have a different mental image for this word. There's no right or wrong, choice, it all depends on personal feelings and the culture of the person in

有緣千里來相會，無緣對面不相逢 - If it is meant to be, we will meet each other even if we are thousands of miles apart; If it is not meant to be, we will not meet even if we are close enough to be face-to-face

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: There are also usages of 缘 in [buddhism](https://ntireader.org/words/7179.html) and [Japanese Kanji](https://www.romajidesu.com/kanji/yukari). It has additional meanings including **cause** and **destiny**.  

---

