顺 shùn — to obey; to follow; to arrange; to make reasonable; along; favorable
祝你一路顺风！Zhù nǐ yí lù shùn fēng!Have a pleasant journey!
Common words: 顺利 (shùn lì)、一路顺风 (yī lù shùn fēng)、顺便 (shùn biàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "along"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "along", including 顺 (shùn), 沿 (yán / yàn), 缘 (yuán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "along" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 顺 (shùn), 沿 (yán / yàn), 缘 (yuán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shùn, yán, yàn, yuán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 顺 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 顺 shùnto obey; to follow; to arrange; to make reasonable; along; favorableUseful words: 顺利, 一路顺风
- 沿 yán / yànalong; riverside (with -r)Useful words: 沿着, 沿海
- 缘 yuánalong; predestined affinity; reason; edgeUseful words: 缘故, 边缘
Common words for these 3 "along" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 顺 (shùn) — so "along" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
顺利shùn lìsmoothly; without a hitch一路顺风yī lù shùn fēngto have a pleasant journey (idiom)顺便shùn biànconveniently; in passing; without much extra effort沿着yán zheto go along; to follow沿海yán hǎicoastal前沿qián yán(military) forward position; frontier; cutting-edge; forefront缘故yuán gùreason; cause边缘biān yuánedge; fringe; verge; brink缘分yuán fènfate or chance that brings people together; predestined affinity or relationship; (Budd.) destiny
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "along".
沿 yán / yàn — along; riverside (with -r)
我们沿着河边散步。Wǒ men yán zhe hé biān sàn bù.We took a walk along the river.
Common words: 沿着 (yán zhe)、沿海 (yán hǎi)、前沿 (qián yán)
缘 yuán — along; predestined affinity; reason; edge
我们能成为朋友真是一种缘分。Wǒ men néng chéng wéi péng you zhēn shì yì zhǒng yuán fèn.It is truly a kind of fate that we became friends.
Common words: 缘故 (yuán gù)、边缘 (biān yuán)、缘分 (yuán fèn)
All 3 characters
Open 顺、沿、缘 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.