涯 (yá) — boundary, limit; shore, edge
Definition
涯 is a literary bound form meaning 'boundary, limit, horizon' — never used alone, almost always paired with 无 (wú) as in 学海无涯 ('the sea of learning has no limits'). It carries a poetic, figurative tone, unlike the everyday concrete 边 or 岸.
bound form
boundarylimitshoreedge
Examples
- 。Tā yí gè rén qù le tiān yá hǎi jiǎo.He went alone to the ends of the earth.
- 。Tā de yì shù shēng yá fēi cháng jīng cǎi.Her artistic career is very brilliant.
- 涯，。Xué hǎi wú yá, qín xué shì lù.The sea of learning is boundless; diligence is the path.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
厓
厓yá涯yá
Same sound today
涯 puts 氵 (water) beside 厓 (cliff; to limit), showing a cliff by the water and giving the sense of a shore or edge.
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