户限

戶限
hùxiàn
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 threshold (the raised wooden bar at the bottom of a traditional doorway)
  2. 2 (figurative) gateway, barrier to entry

Examples

HSK 7-9
Gǔrén zào fángzi zǒng yào yǒu yī dào hùxiàn.
When ancient people built houses, they always included a threshold.
HSK 7-9
Tājiā méntíng-ruòshì, hùxiàn wéi chuān.
His home is as busy as a marketplace - the threshold is worn through.

Tips

history
Famously preserved in the chengyu 户限为穿 ('the threshold is worn through'). The Tang historian Li Chuo records that the calligrapher Zhi Yong 智永 became so famous that visitors seeking his work wore down his doorstep, forcing him to clad it in iron - 'iron threshold' 铁门限 entered the language as a result.

Stroke Order

xiàn