眼界 (yǎn jiè) — field of vision; perspective; horizons | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

眼界 (yǎnjiè) is figurative 'horizons / breadth of perspective' — how wide or narrow someone's view of the world is. Compare 视野 (literal field of view, used figuratively as 'outlook') and 眼光 (insight, taste, judgment of quality).

noun

field of visionperspectivehorizons

Examples

眼界。
Dú shū kě yǐ kāi kuò wǒ men de yǎn jiè.
Reading can broaden our horizons.
。
Zhè cì zhǎn lǎn ràng wǒ dà kāi yǎn jiè.
This exhibition really opened my eyes.
眼界。
Yí gè rén de yǎn jiè jué dìng le tā néng zǒu duō yuǎn.
A person's perspective determines how far they can go.

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.

界jièboundary

The 界 of what 眼 can see gives the idea of range or perspective.

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.

目艮眼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeye

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn眼yǎn

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

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

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

田介界

Meaning part形符xíngfú

田田tiánfield

Sound part声符shēngfú

介

介jiè界jiè

Same sound today

界 is built from 田 (field) and 介. 田 carries the meaning, while 介 gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Abstract Concepts Thinking & Cognition

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