lian (连) — to link, to join, even in Chinese

simplified

traditional

lián

to link · to join · continuously · even (emphatic) · a company (military)

HSK 3 笔画 7 部首辶 (walk-movement) 声调第二声 (rising) all lian readings →

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笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

部首 radical (辶) 部件 component (rest of character) 书写 your drawing

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

连 lián pairs the 辶 chuò radical (the walk-movement element, a foot in motion suggesting travel and the road) with 车 chē (cart; vehicle). The traditional form 連 makes the image explicit: a cart traveling along the road. The original sense was a line of carts moving together, one behind the other, a baggage train. From carts following carts came the abstract meaning that organizes the whole character: things joined in an unbroken series.

That single image radiates into three families of meaning. In space, 连 means to link or join, what is 连 is physically connected: 连接 (to connect), 相连 (to be linked). In time and sequence, 连 means continuously or one after another, events that follow without a gap: 连续 (continuous), 接连 (in succession). And as an emphatic adverb, 连 introduces the surprising extreme in a series, the 连...都/也 pattern that English renders with "even." The thread through all three is the same line of carts: joined, sequential, unbroken.

连 also names a unit of the army, the 连 (company), a body of soldiers that moves and acts as one connected group, commanded by a 连长 (company commander). Here the cart-train image survives almost literally: a company is people who travel and operate in formation, linked into a single fighting body.

构词 gòucí How 连 Combines

三种意思 sān zhǒng yìsi · The three senses of 连 连 + verb of joining = to link in space: 连接 liánjiē (to connect), 相连 xiānglián (to be linked)
连 + verb of duration = to continue without a gap: 连续 liánxù (continuous), 接连 jiēlián (in succession)
连 ... 都/也 = even: 连他都不知道 lián tā dōu bù zhīdào (even he does not know)
The base verb 连 on its own means "to link / to join": 把两根线连起来 (join the two wires together).

连接 liánjiē Link & Join

连接 liánjiē to connect; to link; a connection

V/N 动名词

连 lián (to link) + 接 jiē (to join; to receive). To physically or logically connect two things so that they form one continuous whole. Used for roads, wires, pipes, networks, and the digital sense of a connection or a hyperlink (a 链接 liànjiē is the related noun for an online link, written with the metal radical, but 连接 covers the act of connecting).

这座桥连接两个城市。

Zhè zuò qiáo liánjiē liǎng gè chéngshì.

This bridge connects the two cities.

请把电脑连接到网络。

Qǐng bǎ diànnǎo liánjiē dào wǎngluò.

Please connect the computer to the network.

辨析 biànxī · 连接 vs. 联系连接 liánjiē is physical or structural joining: two things become one continuous whole (bridges, cables, roads). 联系 liánxì is keeping in contact or a logical relation: staying in touch with a person, the link between cause and effect. You 连接 two pipes; you 联系 an old friend. 连 emphasizes the unbroken join; 联 emphasizes association and contact.

相连 xiānglián to be linked; to be connected to each other

V 动词 dòngcí

相 xiāng (mutually; each other) + 连 lián (to link). To be mutually joined, used when two or more things are connected to one another rather than one connecting the other. Common in describing geography, anatomy, and abstract relations: lands that border each other, ideas that are bound together.

这两个国家山水相连。

Zhè liǎng gè guójiā shānshuǐ xiānglián.

These two countries are linked by their mountains and rivers (they share a border).

两人的命运紧紧相连。

Liǎng rén de mìngyùn jǐnjǐn xiānglián.

The fates of the two people are tightly bound together.

连同 liántóng together with; along with

Prep 介词 jiècí

连 lián (to join) + 同 tóng (same; together). A prepositional connector meaning "together with," used to add an item to a group as part of the same action. It bundles the second thing into the first, treating them as one joined set: send the report along with the attachments.

请把报告连同附件一起发给我。

Qǐng bǎ bàogào liántóng fùjiàn yīqǐ fā gěi wǒ.

Please send me the report together with the attachments.

他连同行李都不见了。

Tā liántóng xíngli dōu bùjiàn le.

He vanished, luggage and all.

连续 liánxù One After Another

构词洞见 gòucí dòngjiàn · Insight

The second great branch of 连 is duration and sequence: not things joined side by side in space, but events joined end to end in time. The cart-train tips on its side and becomes a timeline. 连续 (continuous) describes something that runs without interruption; 接连 and 连连 describe blows or events landing one right after another; 连忙 describes acting in the very next instant, hurriedly. In each case 连 contributes the sense of no gap, the next thing arriving immediately behind the last.

连续 liánxù continuous; consecutive; in a row

Adj 形容词 xíngróngcí

连 lián (in a series) + 续 xù (to continue; to extend). Without interruption, one period or event following directly on the last. Frequently paired with a counter: 连续三天 (three days running), 连续剧 (a TV serial, lit. "continuous drama"). The emphasis is on an unbroken stretch.

他连续工作了十二个小时。

Tā liánxù gōngzuò le shí'èr gè xiǎoshí.

He worked for twelve hours straight.

这部连续剧很受欢迎。

Zhè bù liánxùjù hěn shòu huānyíng.

This TV serial is very popular.

连忙 liánmáng hurriedly; promptly; at once

Adv 副词 fùcí

连 lián (right after; immediately) + 忙 máng (busy; to hurry). An adverb describing a reaction that follows hard on the heels of its cause, "at once, without delay." It typically reports a response to a situation that has just arisen, so it appears mostly in narration of past events rather than in commands.

看到老师进来，他连忙站了起来。

Kàndào lǎoshī jìnlái, tā liánmáng zhàn le qǐlái.

Seeing the teacher come in, he hurriedly stood up.

她连忙道歉。

Tā liánmáng dàoqiàn.

She apologized at once.

接连 jiēlián one after another; in succession; repeatedly

Adv 副词 fùcí

接 jiē (to join; to connect) + 连 lián (in a series). An adverb meaning that events occur in close, repeated succession, each new one arriving before the last has finished registering. Often reinforced as 接连不断 (continuously, without a break). It tends to describe a run of events, frequently unwelcome ones: accidents, complaints, defeats coming in a row.

最近接连发生了几起事故。

Zuìjìn jiēlián fāshēng le jǐ qǐ shìgù.

Several accidents have happened one after another recently.

好消息接连不断。

Hǎo xiāoxī jiēlián bùduàn.

Good news kept coming without a break.

叠词 diécí · Reduplication: 连连连连 liánlián is the reduplicated form, "repeatedly, again and again," attached to a verb to show the action keeps recurring: 连连点头 (to nod repeatedly), 连连称赞 (to praise again and again), 连连叫好 (to shout approval over and over). It vividly conveys an emphatic, eager repetition.

连都 lián...dōu The 连...都/也 Pattern: Even

连...都/也 lián...dōu/yě · the emphasis frame 连 + X + 都/也 + (不/没) + verb
连 marks X as the surprising, extreme case; 都 dōu or 也 yě then sums it up: "even X is included / not even X."
连他都不知道。 — Even he does not know. (and he is the one who should)
她连一句话也没说。 — She did not say even a single word.
我连饭都没吃。 — I have not even eaten.
The thing after 连 is the least expected member of the series; 都/也 then states that the claim reaches all the way to it.

连…都 lián…dōu even...; (not) even...

Pattern 句型 jùxíng

连 lián (right up to; including) + 都 dōu (all; even). The most common emphatic frame in Mandarin. 连 puts an extreme example at the front of the clause, and 都 confirms that the statement extends even to that example. The pair often carries an undertone of surprise, reproach, or complaint: the extreme case proves how complete the situation is.

连他都不知道这件事。

Lián tā dōu bù zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.

Even he does not know about this.

这么简单的字，连小孩都会写。

Zhème jiǎndān de zì, lián xiǎohái dōu huì xiě.

A character this simple, even a child can write it.

他忙得连饭都没吃。

Tā máng de lián fàn dōu méi chī.

He was so busy he did not even eat.

连…也 lián…yě even...; (not) even... (interchangeable variant)

Pattern 句型 jùxíng

连 lián (including) + 也 yě (also; even). A near-perfect synonym of 连...都, with 也 in place of 都. The two are interchangeable in most sentences; 也 can sound slightly softer or more literary, and is favored when the clause is negative. Both deliver the same "even" emphasis.

她连一句话也没说就走了。

Tā lián yī jù huà yě méi shuō jiù zǒu le.

She left without saying even a single word.

我累得连站也站不起来。

Wǒ lèi de lián zhàn yě zhàn bù qǐlái.

I was so tired I could not even stand up.

语用 yǔyòng · Pragmatics The 连 in this pattern can often be dropped, leaving 他都不知道 ("he doesn't even know"), but keeping 连 sharpens the emphasis and clearly frames the extreme example. Pair 连 with 一 + measure word (连一个都没有, "not even one") for the strongest "not a single" reading.

成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases

连绵不断 lián mián bù duàn continuous and unbroken: stretching on without end 绵 mián = silk floss, soft and extending; 断 duàn = to break off. The image is of something drawn out like an unbroken thread. Used for mountain ranges that roll on to the horizon, rain that will not stop, and sustained streams of sound or feeling: 连绵不断的山脉 (an unbroken chain of mountains), 连绵不断的细雨 (ceaseless drizzle). The pure spatial-temporal sense of 连, joined and never breaking.

接二连三 jiē èr lián sān one after another: coming in quick succession Literally "joining the second, linking the third," counting events as they pile up. Describes things happening in rapid, repeated succession, most often a run of incidents or problems: 接二连三地出事 (one mishap after another). The 接 and 连 reinforce each other, both meaning "to follow on," so the whole idiom doubles down on the sense of no pause between events.

流连忘返 liú lián wàng fǎn so enthralled as to forget to leave: lingering, reluctant to go home 流连 liúlián = to linger, to be unable to tear oneself away; 忘返 wàng fǎn = to forget to return. Said of someone so captivated by a beautiful scene, a pleasant place, or an absorbing pleasure that they lose track of time and have no wish to leave: 这里的风景让人流连忘返 (the scenery here makes one reluctant to leave). Here 连 carries its sense of staying attached, bound to the spot.

连篇累牍 lián piān lěi dú at great length: page after page of writing 篇 piān = a piece of writing; 牍 dú = a wooden writing tablet, the medium of ancient documents; 累 lěi = to pile up. Sheet linked to sheet, tablet stacked on tablet: a great mass of writing. Usually mildly critical, suggesting verbose, padded text that goes on far longer than its content warrants: 连篇累牍地报道 (to report on something at exhausting length).

记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

See a baggage train on an old road: cart behind cart behind cart, each hitched to the one ahead, rolling forward as one long body. That is 连, the 辶 road beneath the 车 cart, carts joined in a line. Hold that picture and all three meanings fall out of it on their own.

Lay the train out across space and you get the link sense: 连接 (to connect), 相连 (to be linked), things hitched together into one continuous whole. Run the train through time and you get the sequence sense: 连续 (continuous), 接连 (one after another), events arriving cart-behind-cart with no gap between them. And point at the very last cart, the one you would never expect to be there, and you get the emphatic sense: 连他都不知道 (even he does not know), the series reaching all the way to its most surprising member.

One more cart in the line is the army 连 (company): soldiers who travel and act in linked formation. From a string of carts on a road, Chinese built a word for joining in space, continuing in time, and reaching even to the extreme. Whenever you meet 连, ask which way the train is running.