transcend
Definitions
To go beyond the limits of something
超越，超出（界限、范围）
To be greater or better than; to surpass
胜过，优于，凌驾于…之上
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedtrans- (across, beyond) + scend (climb) = climb over and past a limit. Picture a wall: to transcend it you climb up and over to the far side, leaving it behind. Whatever the boundary — physical, mental, cultural, even mortal — transcending it means rising above and beyond it.
Root scend still carries 10 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.transcend boundaries超越界限
- 2.transcend differences超越分歧
- 3.transcend limitations超越局限
- 4.transcend time and space超越时空
Example Sentences
- 1.
Great art can transcend the boundaries of language and culture.
- 2.
Her talent transcends anything we have seen before.
- 3.
He sought a peace that transcends ordinary understanding.
Easily Confused
transcend vs surpass — both can mean 'be better than,' but surpass is a direct comparison (she surpassed the record), while transcend implies rising above a whole category or limit, not just beating one rival (the work transcends genre). You surpass a number; you transcend a boundary.