What is 缘分？
The concept of 缘分 is uniquely Chinese. I do not believe there is a direct translation for that in English, although commonly 缘分 is often translated to Fate. However the English word Fate is not quite the same as 缘分, which in Chinese also suggests some sort of Connection or Relationship between two entities. 缘分 is often about two people or two things connected in a cosmic way that defies logic. Fate usually has some negative connotations, such as an inevitable outcome associated with disaster or even death. “He has met his fate” as an example in English is used to describe someone who has ended his life in some tragic way. The word Fate comes from Greek and Roman mythology where the fates are three goddesses who control human’s birth and death. It is said that each person’s life was a thread spun by the 3 fates.
The word Fate is often translated to 命运, which is probably closer to the real meaning of Fate in the western context. There is another English word that is also often translated to 命运. The word is Destiny. Destiny usually has a more positive connotation than Fate, as it is often used to describe some noble or royal outcome that is predetermined perhaps for a higher purpose. “Unifying China was Emperor Qin Shi-huang’s destiny.” It would not make sense to replace the word destiny in that sentence with fate. The reason is that fate suggests a passive event, as though 秦始皇 had no choice but to unify China. The word destiny here suggests an event that he purposely pursuits with the help of some higher power.
I am not one who believes in fate. In fact, I’ve always thought people who believed in fate were irresponsible. They wanted to blame someone or something else for the way they are or how things turn out for them. I have always thought that fate and destiny exists for one and only one reason: so we can change it. What’s the point of anything in life if it has been entirely scripted from beginning to end, and that there is nothing out there for us to discover and explore?
One amazing thing happened this morning surrounding the circumstances of me going to a wedding in California this weekend has shaken my long held beliefs (no, it is not my own wedding). I found myself wondering aloud: Perhaps there is really such a thing as 缘分? It is a destiny that a new connection will be made that can potentially change lives forever.
Perhaps one of my friends said the best:
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”
- yours truly dragonflypdx as always
P.S. I am not an English major so what I have written here is just based on my personal understanding of the language. Please let me apologize in advance to English teachers everywhere if I misspoke in anyway.
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dragonflypdx
