无垠 (wú yín) — (v.p.) to be boundless, to have no limits or boundaries

Definition

A literary, written word meaning 'boundless, having no limits' — typically used for vast landscapes (草原, 星空, 宇宙), not abstract ideas.

verb
(v.p.) to be boundlessto have no limits or boundaries
Easily confused

Examples

  • 无垠，。
    Yè kōng wú yín, xīng xing shǎn shuò.
    The night sky was boundless, with stars twinkling.
  • 无垠，。
    Zhè piàn cǎo yuán guǎng mào wú yín, yì yǎn wàng bú dào biān.
    This prairie is vast and boundless; you can't see its edge at a glance.
  • 无垠，。
    Yǔ zhòu wú yín, rén lèi tàn suǒ de jiǎo bù yǒng bù tíng xiē.
    The universe is boundless, and humanity's steps of exploration never cease.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

无wúnot have
垠yínboundary

The absence of boundary gives boundlessness.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn垠yín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

垠 combines 土 (soil) with 艮. The 土 part relates to the meaning, and 艮 gives the pronunciation.

Open 垠 →

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