Chinese word

境界

Pronunciation

Pinyinjìng jiè

Meaning

  • nounboundary

Example

他在工作和生活之间划不清境界。tā zài gōng zuò hé shēng huó zhī jiān huà bù qīng jìng jiè

He cannot clearly draw the boundary between work and life.

Illustration for 境界 (boundary)

More examples

医生与患者之间需要保持职业的境界。yī shēng yǔ huàn zhě zhī jiān xū yào bǎo chí zhí yè de jìng jiè

A professional boundary needs to be maintained between doctors and patients.

Core concept

A line that marks where one place, condition, or identity ends and another begins.

Common phrases

  • 保持境界bǎo chí jìng jiè

    maintain a boundary

  • 心理的境界xīn lǐ de jìng jiè

    psychological boundary

  • 道德上的境界dào dé shàng de jìng jiè

    moral boundary

Similar words

边界biān jiè: The boundary line or area between two regions or territories.
界限jiè xiàn: The permitted range or limit of an action, behavior, or situation.

Definition in Chinese

两种事物或区域之间的分界线或界限，既可指具体的地理边界，也可指抽象的状态或身份的区分。liáng zhǒng shì wù huò qū yù zhī jiān de fēn jiè xiàn huò jiè xiàn jì kě zhǐ jù tǐ de dì lǐ biān jiè yě kě zhǐ chōu xiàng de zhuàng tài huò shēn fèn de qū fēn

Word origin

境 (jìng, "border area") + 界 (jiè, "dividing boundary") combine the ideas of a bounded place and a dividing line, giving a word for a limit between places or kinds of states.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this word can frame work and personal life as separate areas, so it appears in discussions of keeping professional matters apart from home life.

Related words

  • 境界线jìng jiè xiànboundary linenoun

Word lists with this word