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越境 (yuè jìng) — to cross a border (usually illegally or without authorization)

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning 'to cross a border,' usually with a sense of trespassing or acting without authorization. Less common than 入境/出境, which are neutral terms for entering or leaving a country.

verb
to cross a border (usually illegally or without authorization)

Examples

  • 越境，。
    Tā shì tú kāi chē yuè jìng, bèi biān fáng jǐng chá zhuā zhù le.
    He tried to cross the border by car and was caught by border police.
  • 越境。
    Zhè zhī bù duì céng jīng liǎng cì yuè jìng zhí xíng mì mì rèn wu.
    This unit once crossed the border twice to carry out a secret mission.
  • ，。
    Tā qù nián yuè guò yí cì jìng, xiàn zài bèi jìn zhǐ rù jìng le.
    He crossed the border once last year and is now banned from entering.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

越yuècross
境jìngborder

越 means cross and 境 means border, so the idea is crossing a boundary.

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
走走zǒuto walk or run
Sound part声符shēngfú
戉
戉yuè越yuè
Same sound today

越 is built from 走 (to walk or run) and 戉 (which supplies the sound); the 走 part shows the idea of going over or crossing.

Open 越 →

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
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.

Open 境 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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