How to Write 连 (lián) — Meaning “to connect / even”

Picture a car (车) driving along a road (辶) to connect two cities – this represents the meaning "to connect." For the "even" meaning, imagine that even a car cannot break this connection, linking both meanings in one image.

Start by writing the radical 辶: first the dot, then the horizontal curve, then write the right part 车, and finish with the long sweeping stroke of 辶. A common mistake is making the 辶 too small or the right part too tall – the sweeping stroke should smoothly wrap under the 车.

连 (lián) has the right part 车 (vehicle) and means "connect" or "even." 巡 (xún) has a different right part (巛) and means "to patrol," while 边 (biān) has 力 (power) and means "side" or "edge." Visually, the middle of 连 contains a vertical stroke (from 车), which helps distinguish it from the other two.

连 can be a verb meaning "to connect" (e.g., 连接) or an adverb meaning "even" in the pattern 连...都/也... (e.g., 他连水都不喝 – "He doesn't even drink water"). This structure emphasizes an extreme case and is very common in everyday Chinese, especially at the HSK 3 level.

Common words containing 连 include: 连续 (lián xù) — continuous / in a row; 连词 (lián cí) — conjunction; 连...都 (lián dōu) — Even... (used to emphasize an extreme case)..