Meaning of 过年
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to celebrate the Chinese New Year
How to use 过年
过年 is a verb phrase used for celebrating the Chinese New Year, usually the Spring Festival, not January 1. People often ask where you will spend it. 你回家过年吗？ (Nǐ huí jiā guònián ma?) Are you going home for the New Year?
过 (guò) means to pass or spend time, and 年 (nián) means year. To 过年 is to pass over into a new year, the way families spend the Spring Festival together.
Common mistake: Learners often use 过年 and 新年 (xīnnián) the same way, but 新年 is a noun for the New Year itself, while 过年 is the act of celebrating it. Say 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè) for the greeting, not 过年快乐.
过年 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
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年 nián · year · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 过年.
| 今年 | jīnnián | this year |
| 去年 | qùnián | last year |
| 明年 | míngnián | next year |
| 半年 | bàn nián | half a year |
| 新年 | xīnnián | New Year |
| 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) |
| 年轻 | niánqīng | young |
| 经过 | jīngguò | to pass; to go through |
| 超过 | chāoguò | to surpass; to exceed |
Questions about 过年
What does 过年 mean?
过年 (guònián) means "to celebrate the Chinese New Year".
How do you write 过年?
过年 is made of 2 characters: 过 (6 strokes), 年 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 过年 an HSK word?
Yes. 过年 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 过年 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 过年 is written 過年.
Can I put words between 过 and 年?
Yes. 过年 is a separable verb, so you can say 过了年 (guò le nián) after the New Year, or 过个好年 (guò ge hǎo nián) have a good New Year.
What is the difference between 过年 and 春节?
春节 (Chūnjié) is the formal name of the Spring Festival holiday. 过年 is the everyday way to talk about celebrating it, as in 我们在北京过年 (wǒmen zài Běijīng guònián) we celebrate the New Year in Beijing.