Meaning of 过
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to cross
- to go over
- to pass (time)
- to celebrate (a holiday)
- to live
- to get along
- excessively
- too-
- (experienced action marker)
- surname Guo
How to use 过
As a verb, 过 means to cross or to pass, and it is also used for spending time or celebrating, as in 过年 (guònián, to celebrate New Year). After a verb, toneless guo marks that you have had an experience before. Example: 我去过北京。(Wǒ qù guo Běijīng.) I have been to Beijing.
过 has the walking radical 辶 at the bottom left, so think of feet moving along a road. The 寸 (cùn) on top is like a small step marker you walk past, so 过 means to pass by or go over.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 过 (guo) and 了 (le). Use 过 for having experienced something at some point, and 了 for a completed action. 我吃过饺子 means you have tried dumplings before, while 我吃了饺子 means you ate dumplings this time. The negative is 没 + verb + 过, as in 我没去过, never 不去过.
过 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
过 guò · to cross · 6 strokes
- 1
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- 3
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Related words
Words that share a character with 过.
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage |
| 过去 | guòqù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 通过 | tōngguò | to pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation) |
| 经过 | jīngguò | to pass; to go through |
| 超过 | chāoguò | to surpass; to exceed |
| 难过 | nánguò | to feel sad; to feel unwell |
| 见过 | jiànguo | |
| 走过 | zǒuguò | to walk past; to pass by |
| 过年 | guònián | to celebrate the Chinese New Year |
| 过程 | guòchéng | course of events; process |
| 度过 | dùguò | to pass; to spend (time) |
Questions about 过
What does 过 mean?
过 (guò) means "to cross; to go over" and is used as a verb and auxiliary verb.
How do you write 过?
过 is made of 1 character: 过 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 过 an HSK word?
Yes. 过 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 过 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 过 is written 過.
How do you say 'too much' or 'excessively' with 过?
过 can come before an adjective or verb to mean 'over' or 'too', often in more formal or written Chinese. Examples are 过多 (guòduō, too many) and 过分 (guòfèn, excessive, going too far).
What does 过日子 mean?
过日子 (guò rìzi) means to live one's daily life or to get by. Here 过 has the sense of 'to live' or 'to spend time', as in 他们过得很好 (Tāmen guò de hěn hǎo), They are living well.