极限
jíxiàn · HSK 7
limit/maximum
🏁 极限 = 极 extreme + 限 limit → the extreme limit, the breaking point
极 means extreme or utmost, 限 means a set limit or boundary. Stacked together they name the farthest edge you can push to: your level best, the maximum, the breaking point.
极 — wood radical 木 + 及 (jí, phonetic)
极 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 木 (wood) hints at the meaning, since the original sense was the ridgepole — the highest beam of a roof. 及 supplies the sound 'jí'. From 'topmost beam' the meaning extended to 'extreme, utmost, pole', as in 北极 (North Pole).
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.