止境 (zhǐ jìng) — end, limit (usually in negative constructions l… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A bookish noun for 'limit' or 'end point'. It is almost always used in a negative phrase like 无止境 ('endless') or 永无止境 ('never-ending'); alone, it sounds stiff.

noun

endlimit (usually in negative constructions like 无止境 'endless')

Examples

止境。
Kē xué de tàn suǒ méi yǒu zhǐ jìng.
Scientific exploration has no end.
。
Tā duì zhī shi de zhuī qiú yǒng wú zhǐ jìng.
His pursuit of knowledge is never-ending.
。
Rén lèi de jìn bù shì yǒng wú zhǐ jìng de.
Human progress is endless.

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.

境jìngboundary

止 means stop and 境 means boundary, together naming a limit or end.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

止 was drawn as a footprint pointing up, with three toes and a sole, originally showing a foot.

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

土竟境

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

竟

竟jìng境jìng

Same sound today

境 pairs 土 (earth) with 竟, which gives the sound; the 土 part carries the meaning.

Appears in

Abstract Concepts

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