境

jìng

土 + 竟

Definitions

jìng (noun) territory; boundary; border

jìng (noun) situation; circumstances; condition

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 竟 represents the sound.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 竟

About

The character 境 is a phono-semantic compound. The left side features the earth radical 土, grounding its meaning in physical land or territory. The right side provides the phonetic component 竟, which also means "to finish" or "end". Together, they originally defined a physical border or boundary. This semantic scope later expanded metaphorically to include circumstances, conditions, states of mind, or one's environment.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢这个环境。

Wǒ xǐhuān zhège huánjìng.

I like this environment.

学校的环境很优美。

Xuéxiào de huánjìng hěn yōuměi.

The school's environment is very beautiful.

他陷入了困难的境地。

Tā xiànrùle kùnnan de jìngdì.

He has fallen into a difficult situation.

旅行可以开阔眼界和心境。

Lǚxíng kěyǐ kāikuò yǎnjiè hé xīnjìng.

Travel can broaden one's horizons and state of mind.

在逆境中成长很重要。

Zài nìjìng zhōng chéngzhǎng hěn zhòngyào.

It is important to grow in adversity.

这部电影带我进入了奇幻的梦境。

Zhè bù diànyǐng dài wǒ jìnrùle qíhuàn de mèngjìng.

This movie took me into a fantastical dream world.

两国之间的边境问题很复杂。

Liǎng guó zhī jiān de biānjìng wèntí hěn fùzá.

The border issue between the two countries is very complex.

他的思想达到了更高的境界。

Tā de sīxiǎng dádàole gèng gāo de jìngjiè.

His thinking has reached a higher realm.

Related Characters

Component: 土

Component: 竟

境