涯

yá

厓 + 氵

Definitions

yá (noun) shore; bank; border; horizon

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 厓

About

The character 涯 is a phono-semantic compound, with the water radical 氵 on the left as the semantic component and 厓 on the right as the phonetic. Its primary meaning is the edge, bank, or shore of a body of water, such as a river, lake, or ocean. Over time, this concrete image extended to abstract concepts: a limit, a distant boundary, or the farthest horizon. The water radical not only identifies the character's literal link to aquatic settings but also evokes the geographical meeting point of land and expansive water, the natural origin of the term.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的生涯很快乐。

Wǒ de shēngyá hěn kuàilè.

My career is very happy.

天涯的风景很美丽。

Tiānyá de fēngjǐng hěn měilì.

The scenery at the horizon is very beautiful.

学习之路无涯。

Xuéxí zhī lù wúyá.

The path of learning is boundless.

她规划了自己的生涯。

Tā guīhuà le zìjǐ de shēngyá.

She planned her own career.

天涯远处有一座城市。

Tiānyá yuǎn chù yǒu yī zuò chéngshì.

There is a city at the distant horizon.

人类探索无涯的宇宙。

Rénlèi tànsuǒ wúyá de yǔzhòu.

Mankind explores the boundless universe.

在生涯的早期，他做了很多决定。

Zài shēngyá de zǎoqī, tā zuò le hěnduō juédìng.

In the early stage of his career, he made many decisions.

尽管生涯的涯际模糊，但他依然前行。

Jǐnguǎn shēngyá de yájì móhu, dàn tā yīrán qiánxíng.

Although the boundaries of his career are vague, he still moves forward.

Related Characters

Component: 厓

Component: 氵

涯