极限

• Pinyin: jí xiàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 极 = 木 + 亟 (timber at apex — utmost point); 限 = 阝+ 艮 (mound + resistance — boundary)

Meaning

Limit; extreme boundary; maximum extent. The furthest point beyond which something cannot go or function.

Used in physics, engineering, sport, and everyday language. 挑战极限 (challenge one's limits), 超越极限 (surpass limits), 承受极限 (bear to the limit). In mathematics, it refers to the concept of a limit. Implies a hard boundary, physical or conceptual.

Examples

1. 这位马拉松运动员不断挑战身体极限，在连续四十天的高强度训练后创下了个人最佳成绩。 This marathon runner kept pushing his physical limits and set a personal best after forty straight days of high-intensity training.
2. 该桥梁的设计承重极限为两千吨，工程师在设计时已充分考虑了各种极端荷载工况。 The bridge was designed with a maximum load limit of 2,000 tons, and the engineers fully considered all kinds of extreme load conditions during the design.
3. 人类对宇宙的探索不断突破认知极限，每一次新发现都重塑着我们对自身存在的理解。 Human exploration of the universe keeps breaking the limits of our understanding, and each new discovery reshapes how we see our own existence.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, engineering, science

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 研发团队在反复测试中发现，该新型材料的抗拉强度已接近当前冶金技术所能达到的理论极限，具有重大工程意义。(The R&D team found through repeated testing that the tensile strength of this new material is approaching the theoretical limit achievable with current metallurgical technology, which has significant engineering implications.)
• 优秀的运动员不仅要有强健的体魄，更要具备在身体极限状态下依然保持心理稳定和战术清晰的精神韧性。(Outstanding athletes need not only a strong physique but also the mental resilience to maintain psychological stability and tactical clarity even when their bodies are at their limits.)

Don't Say

• 极限很低 — use 上限/下限 for specific bounds (upper/lower limit); 极限 implies the absolute maximum/minimum, not an adjustable threshold

Origin & History

极 (extreme/utmost) + 限 (limit/boundary)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal