界

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 界 (jiè) is composed of two parts: the radical 圭 (guī), which means "jade," and the phonetic component 介 (jiè), which means "to separate" or "to distinguish." The character 界 originally meant "a boundary" or "a limit," but it has since taken on a wider range of meanings, including "world," "realm," and "field."The radical 圭 is a pictograph of a piece of jade. In ancient China, jade was considered to be a valuable and precious material, and it was often used to make ceremonial objects and jewelry. The radical 圭 is therefore associated with ideas of value, beauty, and importance.The phonetic component 介 is a pictograph of a person standing between two objects. This character originally meant "to separate" or "to distinguish," but it has also taken on the meanings of "to introduce" and "to recommend." The phonetic component 介 is therefore associated with ideas of separation, distinction, and introduction.The character 界 is a combination of the radical 圭 and the phonetic component 介. It originally meant "a boundary" or "a limit," but it has since taken on a wider range of meanings, including "world," "realm," and "field." The character 界 is a common character in Chinese, and it is used in a variety of words and phrases.