有限 (yǒu xiàn) — limited, finite | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used for things with a fixed or insufficient amount — time, ability, choices, resources. 贫乏 is stronger, describing poverty or deficiency in content (e.g. experience, knowledge).

adjective

limitedfinite

Examples

有限，。
Wǒ de néng lì hěn yǒu xiàn, hái xū yào duō xué xí.
My ability is limited; I still need to study more.
有限，。
Zhè jiā diàn de xuǎn zé hěn yǒu xiàn, zhǐ yǒu jǐ zhǒng shāng pǐn.
This shop's selection is limited; there are only a few kinds of goods.
有限，。
Wǒ men de shí jiān fēi cháng yǒu xiàn, bì xū zhuā jǐn.
Our time is very limited; we must hurry up.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

有yǒuhave

限xiànlimit

有 (have) and 限 (limit) combine: having a limit, so finite.

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

肉肉ròumeat

Sound part声符shēngfú

又

又yòu有yǒu

Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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.

Open 限 →

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Quantity & Amount