The Chinese word **之际** (zhī jì) is a compound formed by combining the classical possessive/linking particle **之** (zhī), which functions similarly to "'s" or "of," with the noun **际** (jì), meaning "border," "edge," or "juncture." Together, they create a fixed literary expression that metaphorically extends the spatial meaning of "border" to the temporal realm, signifying "at the time of" or "on the occasion of." It is used to denote a precise, often critical, moment of transition or intersection between two events, states, or periods, framing time as a point where one condition meets another.