Advanced beyond-silicon electronic technology requires discoveries of both new channel materials and ultralow-resistance contacts 1,2 . Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have great potential for realizing high-performance electronic devices 1,3 . However, because of metal-induced gap states (MIGS) 4-7 , energy barriers at the metalsemiconductor interface, which fundamentally lead to high contact resistances and poor current-delivery capabilities, have restrained the advancement of 2D semiconductor transistors to date 2,8,9 . Here, we report a novel ohmic contact technology between semimetallic bismuth and semiconducting monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) where MIGS is sufficiently suppressed and degenerate states in the TMD are spontaneously formed in contact with bismuth. Through this approach, we achieve zero Schottky barrier height, a record-low contact resistance (R C ) of 123 Ω μm, and a recordhigh on-state current density (I ON ) of 1135 µA µm -1 on monolayer MoS 2 . We also demonstrate that excellent ohmic contacts can be formed on various monolayer semiconductors, including MoS 2 , WS 2 , and WSe 2 . Our reported R C values are a significant improvement for 2D semiconductors, and approaching the quantum limit. This technology unveils the full potential of high-performance monolayer transistors that are on par with the state-of-the-art 3D semiconductors, enabling further device down-scaling and extending Moore's Law.The electrical contact resistance at a metal-semiconductor (M-S) interface has been an increasingly critical, yet unsolved issue for the semiconductor industry, hindering the ultimate