The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

一面之缘

yī miàn zhī yuándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) one-time encounter (e.g. 有一面之緣|有一面之缘[yǒu yī miàn zhī yuán] "to have met once before")
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-fdbc1fc1b83130c3. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

一面之緣 一面之缘 [yi1 mian4 zhi1 yuan2] /(idiom) one-time encounter (e.g. 有一面之緣|有一面之缘[you3 yi1 mian4 zhi1 yuan2] "to have met once before")/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 一面之緣

  • 一
    yī

    one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yāo] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

  • 面
    miàn

    face / side / surface / aspect / top / classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc / flour / noodles / (of food) soft (not crunchy) / (slang) (of a person) ineffectual / spineless

  • 之
    zhī

    (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de]) / him / her / it

  • 缘
    yuán

    cause / reason / karma / fate / predestined affinity / margin / hem / edge / along

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.