有限
yǒuxiàn · HSK 4
limited
⏳ 有 (have) + 限 (limit) = have a limit → limited, finite
有 means 'to have' and 限 means 'limit' or 'boundary'. Together they literally mean 'has a limit', so 有限 describes anything bounded or finite — limited resources, finite time, restricted quantity.
有 — hand 𠂇 + moon/meat 月
Originally depicted a hand holding a piece of meat (月 here is the 'meat' radical, not moon), expressing the idea of possessing something. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to hold/possess' to the general sense of 'to have' or 'there is/exists'.
限 — mound radical 阝 + 艮 (phonetic)
限 combines the 阝 (mound/hill) radical on the left with 艮 on the right, which provides the sound. The mound element suggests a boundary or barrier formed by terrain, and the character came to mean 'limit' or 'boundary' — the edge one cannot cross.