以内 yǐnèi within
within; less than
How to remember 以内: 以 to use + 内 inside = within.
Characters
How it is used
- 以内 (yǐnèi) attaches after a quantity, time, or range to mean 'within, no more than': 一小时以内 (yì xiǎoshí yǐnèi) - within one hour; 预算以内 (yùsuàn yǐnèi) - within budget.
- It's the mirror of 以外 (yǐwài, outside/beyond) and 以上/以下 (yǐshàng/yǐxià, above/below) - this whole family of range words always follows the number or noun it modifies.
- Whether the boundary itself is included can be ambiguous in casual speech, but in official/legal contexts 以内 is generally treated as inclusive of the stated limit.