期限

• 拼音: qī xiàn
• 汉字拆解: 期 = 其 (that) + 月 (month) — a set period; 限 = 阝(hill) + 艮 (boundary) — a limit or boundary

含义

Deadline; time limit; expiry date. The latest point in time by which something must be completed or within which something is valid.

A formal noun for any defined time boundary. Common collocations: 截止期限 (cut-off deadline), 还款期限 (repayment deadline), 有效期限 (validity period), 超过期限 (exceed the deadline). Used in legal, business, and administrative contexts. More formal than 最后期限 (final deadline) which is closer to the English 'deadline'.

例句

1. 这个项目的期限是三个月。
2. 报名的期限是下周五，别错过了。
3. 合同的期限到了，需要续签。

用法指南

语境: business, legal, administrative

语气: serious

正确说法

• 请在期限内完成任务。(Please complete the task within the deadline.)
• 签证的期限快到了，我要去续签。(My visa is about to expire — I need to renew it.)

错误说法

• 期限很快 (Don't say 期限 is 'fast' — say 期限快到了 (the deadline is approaching) or 期限很紧 (the deadline is tight))

起源与历史

A compound of 期 (period/term) and 限 (limit/boundary) — the boundary of a time period.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal