年限 (nián xiàn) — a fixed number of years set as a time limit, te… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

年限 is the set number of years for a limit or duration (e.g. service, warranty, age limit). 期限 is the broader 'time limit / deadline' for any task; 年限 specifically counts years.

noun

a fixed number of years set as a time limit, term, or duration

Examples

年限。
Zhè ge chǎn pǐn de bǎo xiū nián xiàn shì liǎng nián.
The warranty period for this product is two years.
年限。
Nín bì xū liǎo jiě zū lìn hé tong nián xiàn de xiāng guān tiáo kuǎn.
You must understand the relevant terms of the lease contract duration.
年限。
Jiào shī gǎng wèi de tuì xiū nián xiàn tōng cháng wèi sān shí nián.
The retirement age limit for teaching positions is usually thirty years.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

年 as years and 限 as limit give a fixed number of years as a term.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾héwheat; grain

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén年nián

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

⻖Written in full as阜fùmound

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn限xiàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

限 pairs ⻖ (mound, written 阜) with 艮 as a sound part; the mound side gives the sense of a boundary or limit.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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