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因緣

简因缘 · 繁因緣

Mandarin · pinyin yīn yuán

chance
opportunity
predestined relationship
(Buddhist) principal and secondary causes
chain of cause and effect

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Characters in this entry

因: yīn · cause, reason; by; because (of)
緣: Look up this written character
缘: yuán · hem, margin; reason, cause; fate

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2 · yin1 yuan2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

因緣 · find source passages ↗ · 因缘 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jan1 jyun4

Cantonese word readings for 因緣. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

chance; opportunity
predestined relationship; fate; destiny
(Buddhism) hetu and prataya; principal and secondary causes
chain of cause and effect

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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