越

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 越 (yuè) is composed of two parts: the radical 彳 (chì), which represents walking or stepping, and the phonetic component 粤 (yuè), which is a variant of the character 嶽 (yuè), meaning "mountain peak". The original meaning of 越 was "to cross over" or "to surpass", which is related to the idea of climbing a mountain. Over time, the meaning of 越 expanded to include "to exceed", "to go beyond", and "to surpass". In modern Chinese, 越 is commonly used in words such as 越过 (yuèguò, "to cross over"), 越界 (yuèjiè, "to cross the boundary"), and 越级 (yuèjí, "to skip a level").The character 越 has a rich history and has been used in Chinese literature and poetry for centuries. For example, in the famous poem "The Song of Everlasting Regret" by Bai Juyi, the line "春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干" (chūn cán dào sǐ sī fāng jìn, là jù chéng huī lèi shǐ gān) uses the character 越 to express the idea of surpassing or going beyond the limits of human life.In addition to its literal meaning, 越 also has a number of figurative meanings. For example, it can be used to describe someone who is outstanding or exceptional, or to express the idea of going beyond the ordinary or the expected. In this sense, 越 is often used in idioms and proverbs such as "青出于蓝而胜于蓝" (qīng chū yú lán ér shèng yú lán, "the student surpasses the teacher") and "登高望远" (dēng gāo wàng yuǎn, "to climb high and look far").Overall, the character 越 is a versatile and expressive character that has a rich history and a wide range of meanings. It is an important character for HSK learners to master, as it is commonly used in both written and spoken Chinese.