缘分

[veronica_china]

Hi, everyone, which word can describe the meaning of yuanfen（缘分）in English! It is said that the occidentals don't believe it, so there isn't a matching word. Is that true? Is yuanfen（缘分）only chinese culture? Can anyone help me? Thanks for any help offered:wink:!

[Hofmann]

One could call it "fate."

[veronica_china]

Thank you very much for your reply!

I found some other words which can also describe this meaning based on your answer "fate", such as destiny, kismet, lot, fortune, karma. Is that right?

[Hofmann]

Maybe destiny. None of the others. Karma is 業.

[veronica_china]

Are you a Chinese? Unexpectedly you can know and write this word" 業"! Since you know this word and understand its meanings, why don't you think karma can describe the meaning of yuanfen(缘分). Actually in my opinion the Chinese meaning of yuanfen just indicate the karma. If you were a Chinese, Wouldn't you think so? Wouldn't you agree with me?

[Lu]

I'm neither Chinese nor native English, but here's my 2 cents:

karma: what you did in the past/in your past life comes back to you.

fate: what happens to you now could not be avoided, it had to happen

yuanfen: it's not coincidence that 2 people met and fell in love, they had to meet there and then. (for example: a friend of mine wanted to take a certain class, and walked in to asked whether she could. She saw a shuai ge also taking that class, but the class was already full, so she could not take it: she and the shuai ge 没有缘分.)

destiny: mostly something lofty, a high position that you will rise to (but you'll also have to work for it, it won't come by itself)

So I think karma is actually quite different from yuanfen (unless I'm misunderstanding the meaning of yuanfen).

I hope this helps!

[imron]

I tend to agree with Lu that Karma and yuanfen are different.

I would put yuanfen somewhere in between the meaning of both fate and destiny. Fate can sometimes have negative connotations that yuanfen doesn't have. Destiny is often too lofty to apply to all the same situations as yuanfen, which can often refer to more ordinary matters. It really does sit there nicely in the middle, almost more like 'it was meant to be'.

[null]

What about the word predestination? 缘分=be preordained to come together.

destiny: 命运

kismet: 天命

lot:？？？

fortune:运气 (good or bad, luck= good fortune 好运)

karma: 因果报应，业 (a buddhist term)

[Lu]

After some more thinking: lot is something that is thrown on you; destiny something you will achieve after hard work.

[imron]

Another good sentence that highlights the difference between destiny and fate is: Fulfill your destiny or suffer your fate.

[lilongyue]

Karma and fate are defintely different, both in meaning and language. I'm a Buddhist, and translate Chinese Buddhist texts into English, and "karma" (meaning actions and their consequences) are never spoken of as 缘分, but the character 缘 appears in certain words related to the principle of cause and effect (which is what karma in fact is). Fate or destiny are good translations of 缘分.

Edited November 17, 2008 at 07:37 AM by lilongyue

[ABCinChina]

I think CEDICT has a pretty good translation of 缘分:

[yuán fèn]

fate or chance that brings people together

predestined affinity or relationship

(Budd.) destiny