túlmutatni

Túlmutatni is a Hungarian verb meaning to go beyond, to surpass, or to transcend. It describes surpassing a limit, standard, or expectation, and is used in everyday language as well as in more formal or philosophical contexts. The term often refers to intellectual, artistic, moral, or experiential exceedance rather than a simple physical overstep.

Etymology and usage notes: The word is built from the prefix túl-, meaning beyond or over, combined with mutatni, “to show” or “to indicate.” The figurative sense is central: to go beyond what is shown, demonstrated, or assumed. In Hungarian, lú/synonyms such as túllépni, meghaladni, vagy felülmúlni are used for similar ideas, but túlmutatni emphasizes crossing established boundaries rather than merely surpassing them.

Contexts: In everyday speech, túlmutatni can describe actions that exceed expectations or conventional limits. In philosophy, theology, and literary criticism, it often signals transcending empirical or conventional understanding. For example, a research project might túlmutatni a jelenlegi elméleti kereteken (go beyond the current theoretical framework), or an artwork may túlmutatni a nyelvi kifejezőkészségen (surpass linguistic expression). The nuance is one of reaching beyond what is immediately apparent or accepted.

Translations: The closest English equivalents are to transcend, to go beyond, or to surpass. The noun form related to the concept is transcendence. See also related verbs like túlhaladni and túllépni for closely related senses.