沿 (yán) - to follow (a course, tradition) & along

沿Tone 2

yán ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 氵

妍嬿

沿 · yán

to follow (a course, tradition);

along;

to coast (v.

);

edge;

border

to follow (a course, tradition)alongto coast (v.)

Usage highlights

along the coastalong the riverborder areastreettraditionroute

Synonyms

  • 顺— along, following
  • 循— to follow, to adhere to
  • 靠— near, by (as in 靠海)

Antonyms

  • 逆— against, contrary to
  • 违— to violate, to go against

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We walked along the river (沿河).
  • Following tradition (沿袭传统).
  • Coastal cities (沿海城市).
  • The route goes along the mountain (沿山路线).

Collocations

  • along the coast(沿海)
  • along the river(沿河)
  • border area(沿边)
  • street(沿街)
  • tradition(沿袭)
  • route(沿途)

Idioms

  • Following the old routine(沿袭成规)
  • Coasting along without progress(沿流溯源)
  • Following the beaten track(沿波讨源)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character combines water (氵) with the phonetic component 㕣, suggesting movement along a watercourse.
  • Used historically in administrative terms for border regions and in describing geographical features.
  • In modern context, often appears in transportation and development terminology (e.g., 沿海经济带).

FAQ