跨越 (kuà yuè) — to cross, to leap over (a physical barrier or a metaphorical obstacle)

Definition

跨越 means to step over or leap across — both a physical barrier and a stage of progress (an era, a bottleneck). 比 越过 more literary/formal, and broader than 跨 in scope.

verb
to crossto leap over (a physical barrier or a metaphorical obstacle)

Examples

  • 跨越。
    Lì shǐ xué jiā rèn wéi zhè cì gǎi gé kuà yuè le yí gè xīn de shí dài.
    Historians believe this reform has crossed over into a new era.
  • 跨越，。
    Wèi le kuà yuè jì shù píng jǐng, gōng sī tóu rù le dà liàng yán fā zī jīn.
    To overcome the technological bottleneck, the company invested heavily in R&D.
  • ，跨越。
    Zhè tiáo xiǎo xī hěn zhǎi, xiǎo hái zi yě néng qīng sōng kuà yuè guò qù.
    This stream is very narrow; even a child can easily step across it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

跨kuàstride across
越yuècross over

跨 and 越 both mean to go over something, so the word means to step across.

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
夸
夸kuā跨kuà
Same sound today

The left part 足, a foot, points to stepping or striding, while the right part 夸 gives the sound.

Open 跨 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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