連

Core concept of linkage or a chain, denoting things joined in a series (physically, temporally, or logically).

• Physical/Spatial Connection: To join, tie together, or be contiguous. Implies elements that touch or flow into one another without interruption, rather than being merely adjacent.
• Temporal/Sequential Continuity: Successive or continuous; an unbroken chain of repetitions (e.g., 連年).
• Inclusive Emphasis: A marker for an extreme case ("Even [X] is [Y]"). This is a semantic extension of linking items in a list until reaching the most surprising or furthest member.

In later classical layers and vernacular texts, when followed by a noun and concluding with a particle such as 也, the glyph typically functions as the inclusive "even." In very early texts, it generally functions as a literal verb of joining.

• 連 vs. 接 (jiē): 接 emphasizes the point of contact or the act of meeting; 連 emphasizes the unbroken line or the state of being joined as a whole.
• 連 vs. 繼 (jì): 繼 refers to succession—picking up where something left off (e.g., inheritance); 連 refers to the link itself.

// Tang-period reading: //liɛn.

• Simplified variant: U+8FDE.

The glyph is generally stable, though as with many 辶 compounds, minor graphic variations may appear in non-standard manuscripts.