沿

yán

follow a course

Components
氵 meaning component

  Meaning component

shuishuǐ

  

water

water

㕣 sound component

  Sound component

yǎn

  

a marsh at the foot of the hills

Evolution

沿 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
沿 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

沿  

yán

along; to follow (a line, tradition etc); to carry on; to trim (a border with braid, tape etc); border; edge

Most common words with 沿
Freq.
Word
Meaning

沿

along

沿着

to go along

前沿

front-line

沿途

by the wayside

沿岸

coastal area