边缘 meaning in English
edge; fringe; verge; brink; periphery; marginal; borderline
Meaning of 边缘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- edge; fringe; verge; brink; periphery
- marginal; borderline
How to use 边缘
边缘 is used for physical edges, like a cliff or a table. It is also used for abstract ones, like being on the brink of collapse or on the fringe of a group. Example: 他站在悬崖边缘。(Tā zhàn zài xuányá biānyuán.) He is standing at the edge of the cliff.
边 (biān) means side, as in 旁边 (pángbiān), and 缘 (yuán) has the silk radical 纟, like the hem along the edge of a piece of cloth. Put the side and the hem together and you get the outer edge of something.
Common mistake: Learners often write 缘 with 彖 parts confused, or swap it for 绿 (lǜ, green), since both have 纟 on the left. Also keep the second tone on yuán; do not say yuàn.
边缘 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
边 biān · side · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
缘 yuán · reason · 12 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related words
Words that share a character with 边缘.
| 那边 | nàbiān | over there; yonder |
| 这边 | zhèbiān | this side; here |
| 一边 | yībiān | one side; either side |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | side; adjacent place |
| 左边 | zuǒbian | left; the left side |
| 右边 | yòubian | right side; right, to the right |
| 里边 | lǐbian | inside |
| 北边 | běibian | north; north side |
| 外边 | wàibian | outside; outer surface |
| 南边 | nánbian | south; south side |
| 东边 | dōngbian | east; east side |
| 西边 | xībian | west; west side |
Questions about 边缘
What does 边缘 mean?
边缘 (biānyuán) means "edge; fringe; verge; brink; periphery; marginal; borderline" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 边缘?
边缘 is made of 2 characters: 边 (5 strokes), 缘 (12 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 边缘 an HSK word?
Yes. 边缘 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 边缘 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 边缘 is written 邊緣.
How do you say 'on the verge of' something with 边缘?
Use 处于……的边缘 or 在……的边缘. For example, 处于崩溃的边缘 (chǔyú bēngkuì de biānyuán) means on the verge of collapse.
Can 边缘 be used like an adjective meaning 'marginal'?
Yes. It can go directly before a noun, as in 边缘人物 (biānyuán rénwù, a marginal figure) or 边缘学科 (biānyuán xuékē, an interdisciplinary field). The verb form 边缘化 (biānyuánhuà) means to marginalize.