Taxonomy of meanings for 緣:　　

  • 緣 yuán (OC: k-lon MC: jʷiɛn) 與專切 平 廣韻：【縁由又羊絹切 】
    • ASCEND
      • vtoNclimb (a tree)　緣木
      • with difficulty>CRAWL
        • vtoNcrawl upwards with the aid of something to hold on to
        • proficiently>ACROBATICS
          • vtoNclimb up （a pole 緣橦)
      • generalised>FOLLOW
          • abstract>CONFORM
            • nabactcompliance
            • vtoN.adVin accordance with, on the basis of
            • vtoNbe guided by; keep carefully in constant accordance with, comply with attentively; be concerned with
            • to one's advantage>RELY ON
              • vtoN.adVbased on; depending on
              • vtoNrely on as a guideline, depend on
              • abstract>CAUSE
                • nabmetaphysicalconcrete basis, something to go by, lead; reason; plausible reason; more generally: circumstancesin the BUDDH context secondary causes, conditions as opposed to primary causes yin1 因; skr. hetu
                • look for causes>INVESTIGATE
                  • vtoNtrace to its details and principles, investigate
                • be causally linked>CONNECT
                  • supernatural causes>FATE
                    • nabmetaphysicalpredestined fortunate outcome; predestined life; predestined experience;
                  • grammaticalised>BECAUSE
                    • vt(oN.)adVbecause of this
                    • vtoN.adVbecause of N, on the occasion of N; conditioned by N,
                    • vtoNbe beause of N
                    • vtoS.adVbecause of/ conditioned by S (therefore V)
                    • vtoSbecause 緣有x故
                    • vtoS1.postadS2because
                    • vtoS1.adS2because of S1, (therefore) S2DS
                  • grammaticalised>FROM
                • to outline or circumference>SURROUND
          • 緣 yuàn (OC: k-lons MC: jʷiɛn) 以絹切 去 廣韻：【衣縁 】
            • what surrounds>HEM
              • nborder of garment
              • vtoNpassivebe hemmed

            Additional information about 緣

            說文解字: 【緣】，衣純也。从糸、彖聲。 【以絹切】

              Criteria
            • HEM

              1. The current general word for a border in clothing is zhǔn 純.

              2. Pí 紕 refers to a trimming.

              3. Yì 裔 is a specific term for a border in clothing.

              4. Qí 齊 refers to the hem of a mourning cloth.

              5. Jī 緝 refers to a trimming.

              6. Yuán 緣 refers to a hem in clothing with a bands of fabric applied on it.

              7. Rán 袡 is a specific term refering to a hem on the lower part of a cloth.

              8. Tuán 褖 specifically refers to a hem of a ritual cloth.

            • ASCEND

              [ARCHAIC/CURRENT]

              [[BASIC/DERIVED]]

              [DIFFICULT/EASY]

              [ELEVATED/VULGAR]

              [+FIG/LITERAL]

              1. Shēng 升 (ant. jiàng 降 "descend") is perhaps the most general word dedicated to the meaning of "going up", and the word often has a literary, dignified flavour.

              [GENERAL]; [[BASIC]], [[CURRENT]]

              2. Shàng 上 (ant. xià 下 "descend"), on the basis of the general meaning "above", comes to refer to the moving to the position on top of or above something else, and the word has no elevated literary flavour.

              [GENERAL]; [[CURRENT]], [[DERIVED]]

              3. Dēng 登 refers to one entering a vehicle or moving onto a higher surface of any kind, typically (but not always) in a dignified manner.

              [ELEVATED!]; [[CURRENT+]]

              4 Pān 攀 refers to an arduous movement across difficult terrain to a higher position, supporting oneself by objects that one can hold on to as one is moving upwards.

              [DIFFICULT+], [LITERAL]; [[BASIC]], [[CURRENT]]

              5. Yuán 緣 refers to an often arduous movement in difficult "terrain" and guided by certain features of that terrain.

              [DIFFICULT]; [[DERIVED]]

              6. Chéng 乘 refers to the mounting of a vehicle, specifically.

              [SPECIFIC]; [[CURRENT]]

              7. Jī 躋 refers to ascending a burial mound as part of ritual.

              [ARCHAIC], [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

              8. Zhì 陟 "poetic: scale a mountain" (ant. jiàng 降 "descend") is a rare archaising words with highly restricted usage.

              [ARCHAIC], [SPECIFIC]; [[RARE]]

              9. Jí 即 (ant.* xùn 遜 "resign a ruler's position", or perhaps also shàn 禪 "resign the throne") is always metaphorically "ascend (the throne)".

              [SPECIFIC]; [[CURRENT]], [[DERIVED]]

            • CRAWL

              1. The current general word for crawling or creeping is pú fú 匍匐.

              2. Pān 攀 and yuán 緣 refer to crawling upwards.

              3. Shé xíng 蛇行 is occasionally used as an idiom referring to crawling.

            • CONFORM

              1. Perhaps the most general and the most current word describing conformity to a norm is shùn 順 (ant. nì 逆 "go against").

              2. Yóu 由 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking something as one's starting point or point of orientation.

              3. Dào 道 refers to conformity construed as a matter of taking one's model to define the way of doing things for one.

              4. Yǐ 以 refers to conformity construed as a matter of availing oneself of something as an instrument or guideline.

              5. Yīn 因 refers to conformity construed as a matter of adapting to pre-existing models or rules.

              6. Yuán 緣 refers to conformity construed as a matter of following something attentively in all details as a guideline.

              7. Shǒu 守 refers to conformity construed as a matter of guarding a precedent or a tradition.

              8. Zhōu 周 and hé 合 (all ant. fǎn 反 "go against the model") refer to complete all-round conformity construed as overall identification with a model.

              9. Chèn 稱 refers to conformity construed as a matter of balancing one's actions against a standard.

              10. Yìng 應 and

              shì 適 refer to conformity construed as a matter of responding adequately to given facts.

              12. Cóng 從 and suí 隨 refer to conformity construed as a matter of following a lead.

              12. Tīng 聽 refers specifically to a superior acting in conformity with his inferior's suggestions.

            • CAUSE

              1. The general word primarily for something further back in time causing something later in time, but also applied to logical grounds of any kind is gù 故, and the image is that of a solid background against which something is happening. Both subjective reasons and objective causes are referred to by this word.

              2. Yīn 因 is what an animate or inanimate agent bases himself on in order to develop or act, and the image is that of leaning on it.

              3. Yóu 由 and zì 自 are only occasionally nominalised and metaphorically construe the ground as something from which the consequence "flows", and the image is that of a source from which an action or a process flows.

              4. Yǐ 以 is only occasionally nominalised and construes the grounds as something used by the consequence in order for it to be established, and the image is of the use a subject makes, in the course of some action, of something else.

              5. Yuán 緣 is construed as grounds one uses as a guideline, and yuán 緣 always indicates grounds used by a person, and the image is of a guideline one follows in action.

              6. Jī 機 is an objective cause construed metaphorically as a triggering mechanism for what is caused, and the image is of a mechanism triggering an event or an action.

              Word relations
            • Object: (CRAWL)木/TREE The current word for a tree is mù 木. In Shang times times this word was a count noun for trees, later it also referred to felled trees and in particular to timber as a material. Thus in Warring States times the special feature of this word is that it is a mass noun as well as a count noun.
            • Assoc: (RELY ON)據/RELY ON