垓 (gāi) - ancient Chinese unit of measurement for 100 million & boundary or limit

垓Tone 1

gāi ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

垓 · gāi

ancient Chinese unit of measurement for 100 million;

boundary or limit;

refers to the ancient battlefield Gaixia where Xiang Yu was defeated;

mathematical term for 10^8.

ancient Chinese unit of measurement for 100 millionboundary or limitrefers to the ancient battlefield Gaixia where Xiang

Usage highlights

Gaixiabattle of Gaixiaeight boundariesgāi unitnumbers in the gāi rangegāi and beyond

Synonyms

  • 亿— hundred million (modern equivalent)
  • 界— boundary, limit

Antonyms

  • 初— beginning, initial (antonym to boundary/limit sense)
  • 微— tiny, minute (antonym to large number sense)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient battlefield of Gaixia (垓下) was where Xiang Yu met his defeat.
  • In mathematics, a hundred million is called a gāi (垓).
  • The ancient text mentions boundaries reaching to the eight gāi (八垓).
  • He calculated numbers up to the gāi unit (垓级数字).

Collocations

  • Gaixia(垓下)
  • battle of Gaixia(垓下之战)
  • eight boundaries(八垓)
  • gāi unit(垓单位)
  • numbers in the gāi range(垓级数)
  • gāi and beyond(垓以上)

Idioms

  • The decisive battle at Gaixia(垓下之围)
  • Surrounded at Gaixia(垓下被围)
  • The song of Gaixia(垓下歌)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically significant as the location of the Battle of Gaixia (202 BCE) where Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu, leading to the establishment of the Han dynasty.
  • Used in classical Chinese mathematics as a large number unit representing 10^8 (100 million).
  • Appears in ancient texts describing the farthest boundaries or limits of the world.

FAQ