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The Red String
Thread of Lover's Destiny / Fate
akai ito
This literally translates as “the red string” or “the red thread” in Japanese, but the real meaning is much deeper...
In Japanese culture, it's believed that fate, destiny, or karma joins lovers by an unseen string, tied around one little finger of each. 赤い糸 is how soul mates find and are drawn to each other.
The Japanese concept of the red thread of fate, by most estimations, comes from Chinese folklore, where it's known as 姻緣紅線. The only difference is that in China, the celestial red thread is tied around the ankles of the lovers (versus what is usually represented as the pinky finger in Japan).
The Red Thread of Fate
yīn yuán hóng xiàn
姻緣紅線 is the legendary red string of destiny that binds all soul mates or lovers together.
In ancient Chinese culture, a mythological matchmaker named 月老 (Yuè Lǎo) was the controller of the fate that led lovers to meet. He did this by tying a celestial red string to the ankle of each person. Sometime during their life, they will meet and marry as fate dictates.
While the origin of the red string comes from China, it has spread to other parts of Asia (such as Japan, where it's known as 赤い糸).
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Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your The Red String search...
| Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
赤い糸 see styles |
akaiito / akaito あかいいと |
More info & calligraphy: The Red String |
ストリングス see styles |
sutoringusu ストリングス |
More info & calligraphy: Strings |
串 see styles |
chuàn chuan4 ch`uan chuan kushizaki くしざき |
to string together; to skewer; to connect wrongly; to gang up; to rove; string; bunch; skewer; classifier for things that are strung together, or in a bunch, or in a row: string of, bunch of, series of; to make a swift or abrupt linear movement (like a bead on an abacus); to move across (1) spit; skewer; (2) (slang) (See プロキシサーバー) proxy (computer server); (surname) Kushizaki to get used to |
壱 see styles |
yī yi1 i hito ひと |
Japanese variant of 壹[yi1] (num,pref) (1) one; (adj-no,suf) (2) best; (can be adjective with の) (3) first; foremost; (4) beginning; start; (5) bottom string (on a shamisen, etc.); (personal name) Hito |
壹 see styles |
yī yi1 i ichi いち |
one (banker's anti-fraud numeral) (out-dated kanji) (num,pref) (1) one; (adj-no,suf) (2) best; (can be adjective with の) (3) first; foremost; (4) beginning; start; (5) bottom string (on a shamisen, etc.) |
弌 see styles |
yī yi1 i hajime はじめ |
archaic variant of 一[yi1] (num,pref) (1) one; (adj-no,suf) (2) best; (can be adjective with の) (3) first; foremost; (4) beginning; start; (5) bottom string (on a shamisen, etc.); (female given name) Hajime |
弔 吊 see styles |
diào diao4 tiao hari はり |
a string of 100 cash (arch.); to lament; to condole with; variant of 吊[diao4] (personal name) Hari |
弦 see styles |
xián xian2 hsien yuzuru ゆずる |
bow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring; chord (segment of curve); hypotenuse; CL:根[gen1] (1) bowstring; (2) (See 絃・1) string (of a shamisen, etc.); stringed instrument; (3) {math} chord; (4) (rare) {geom} (See 斜辺) hypotenuse; (female given name) Yuzuru |
彈 弹 see styles |
tán tan2 t`an tan dan |
to pluck (a string); to play (a string instrument); to spring or leap; to shoot (e.g. with a catapult); (of cotton) to fluff or tease; to flick; to flip; to accuse; to impeach; elastic (of materials) A bullet, shot; to strum, snap; repress, impeach; translit. dan. |
捯 see styles |
dáo dao2 tao |
(coll.) to reel in (string, yarn etc) by pulling hand over hand or by coiling; to step along; to look into; to pursue (a matter) |
撥 拨 see styles |
bō bo1 po hatsu ばち |
to push aside with the hand, foot, a stick etc; to dial; to allocate; to set aside (money); to poke (the fire); to pluck (a string instrument); to turn round; classifier: group, batch (1) plectrum; pick; (2) drumstick for Japanese drums (e.g. taiko) To spread, open out, scatter, disseminate, detach, uproot. |
筑 see styles |
zhù zhu4 chu tsuku つく |
five-string lute; Taiwan pr. [zhu2] (hist) zhu (ancient Chinese string instrument); (surname) Tsuku |
紐 纽 see styles |
niǔ niu3 niu himo(p); himo ひも(P); ヒモ |
to turn; to wrench; button; nu (Greek letter Νν) (1) (kana only) string; cord; (2) (kana only) leash; (3) (kana only) (colloquialism) (esp. ヒモ) man who is financially dependent on a woman; gigolo; pimp; (4) (kana only) restrictions; conditions; (5) (kana only) mantle (shellfish, etc.); (6) (kana only) {food} small intestine (beef, pork); oviduct meat (chicken) |
絃 see styles |
xián xian2 hsien ito いと |
variant of 弦; bow string; string of musical instrument; watch spring; chord (straight line joining two points on a curve); hypotenuse (1) (See 弦・げん・2) string (of a shamisen, etc.); (2) stringed instrument; (female given name) Ito |
綰 绾 see styles |
wǎn wan3 wan |
bind up; string together |
線 线 see styles |
xiàn xian4 hsien sen せん |
thread; string; wire; line; CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3],根[gen1]; (after a number) tier (unofficial ranking of a Chinese city) (n,n-suf) (1) line; stripe; stria; (n,n-suf) (2) line (e.g. telephone line); wire; (n,n-suf) (3) (See Ｘ線) ray (e.g. X-ray); beam; (n,n-suf) (4) line (e.g. of a railroad); track; route; lane; (n,n-suf) (5) outline; contours; form; (n,n-suf) (6) level; (n,n-suf) (7) division; (n,n-suf) (8) (See いい線) line (of action); position; approach; policy; principle; (n,n-suf) (9) (See 線が太い,線が細い) impression one leaves; air one gives off; (surname) Sen A thread, wire, clue, spy, lead, connection. |
緡 缗 see styles |
mín min2 min sashi; bin さし; びん |
cord; fishing-line; string of coins (1) (See 緡縄・さしなわ) slender rope that goes through the hole in a coin; (n,ctr) (2) string of coins (usu. 100 mon) |
繦 襁 see styles |
qiǎng qiang3 ch`iang chiang tasuki たすき |
string of copper coins; variant of 襁[qiang3] (1) cord used to tuck up the sleeves of a kimono; (2) sash (worn across chest, e.g. by election candidate or relay runners); (3) wrapper band on books, CDs, etc. |
繩 绳 see styles |
shéng sheng2 sheng nawa なわ |
rope; CL:根[gen1] (surname) Nawa String, cord. |
纙 see styles |
luò luo4 lo |
string on which coins are strung |
貫 贯 see styles |
guàn guan4 kuan hakaru はかる |
to pierce through; to pass through; to be stringed together; string of 1000 cash {archit} crosspiece (between pillars, etc.); penetrating tie beam; (personal name) Hakaru To string, thread, pass through. |
鉉 铉 see styles |
xuàn xuan4 hsüan gen げん |
stick-like implement inserted into the handles of a tripod cauldron in ancient times in order to lift the cauldron; commonly used in Korean names, transcribed as "hyun" (1) bowstring; (2) string (of shamisen, guitar, violin, etc.); (3) bail (arched pot handle); (4) diagonal levelling wire across the top of a masu; (personal name) Gen |
鏹 镪 see styles |
qiǎng qiang3 ch`iang chiang |
money; string of coins |
スジ see styles |
suji スジ |
(1) muscle; tendon; sinew; (2) vein; artery; (3) fiber; fibre; string; (4) line; stripe; streak; (5) reason; logic; (6) plot; storyline; (7) lineage; descent; (8) school (e.g. of scholarship or arts); (9) aptitude; talent; (10) source (of information, etc.); circle; channel; (11) well-informed person (in a transaction); (12) logical move (in go, shogi, etc.); (13) (shogi) ninth vertical line; (14) seam on a helmet; (15) (abbreviation) gristly fish paste (made of muscle, tendons, skin, etc.); (16) (archaism) social position; status; (n-suf,n,adj-no) (17) on (a river, road, etc.); along; (suf,ctr) (18) counter for long thin things; counter for roads or blocks when giving directions; (19) (archaism) (Edo period) counter for hundreds of mon (obsolete unit of currency); (given name) Suji |
一糸 see styles |
kazushi かずし |
thread; strand; string; (personal name) Kazushi |
一軍 see styles |
ichigun いちぐん |
(1) one army; whole army; (2) {sports} (See 二軍) first string players |
上弦 see styles |
shàng xián shang4 xian2 shang hsien jougen / jogen じょうげん |
to wind up a watch, clockwork toy etc; to tighten the string of a bow, violin etc; first quarter (phase of the moon) (See 下弦) first quarter moon; waxing half-moon; (female given name) Jōgen |
上紐 see styles |
uwahimo うわひも |
outside string (on a package) |
二胡 see styles |
èr hú er4 hu2 erh hu niko にこ |
erhu (Chinese 2-string fiddle); alto fiddle; CL:把[ba3] erhu (2-stringed Chinese instrument played with a bow); erh hu; (female given name) Niko |
二軍 see styles |
nigun にぐん |
{sports} (See 一軍・3) second team; reserve team; farm team; second-string players |
Click here for more The Red String results from our dictionary
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
| Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
| The Red String | 赤い糸 | akai ito / akaiito | ||
| The Red Thread of Fate | 姻緣紅線 姻缘红线 | yīn yuán hóng xiàn yin1 yuan2 hong2 xian4 yin yuan hong xian yinyuanhongxian | yin yüan hung hsien yinyüanhunghsien |
|
| In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. | ||||
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