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只限 (zhǐ xiàn) — be limited to; be restricted to

Definition

Formal written verb meaning 'be limited / restricted to' — used on signs, notices, and rules to set a boundary (time, number, or group). It is stative (describes a state), not an action you do.

verb
be limited tobe restricted to

Examples

  • 只限。
    Zhè ge míng é zhǐ xiàn shí rén.
    This quota is limited to ten people.
  • 只限。
    Cǐ yōu huì zhǐ xiàn huì yuán shǐ yòng.
    This offer is restricted to members only.
  • 只限。
    Miǎn fèi shì tīng zhǐ xiàn yí cì.
    The free trial is limited to one time.

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.

只zhīonly
限xiànlimit

只 narrows 限 to mean restricted to a set number or group.

Characters in this word

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

只 shows air coming out of a mouth, for a word used in speech.

Open 只 →

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
Abstract Concepts

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