过 (guò) is the full verb "to pass / cross / go over," and by a natural extension "to spend / celebrate (a stretch of time)." Its core image is getting from one side of something to the other — a road, a bridge, a birthday, a year of your life. The single biggest trap is that this fourth-tone verb 过 (guò) shares its character with the toneless experiential particle 过 (guo) "have done (at least once)." Same shape, two completely different jobs: 过马路 (guò mǎlù) "cross the road" is the verb; 去过北京 (qù guo Běijīng) "have been to Beijing" is the particle. This page is the verb; the particle lives on the experiential 过 page.
Sense 1: cross / pass / go over (physical)
The literal core: move from one side of something to the other. The thing crossed is the direct object — 过马路, 过桥, 过河, 过马路口.
过马路的时候要看红绿灯。
guò mǎlù de shíhou yào kàn hónglǜdēng
When you cross the street, watch the traffic lights.
前面有座桥，过了桥就到了。
qiánmiàn yǒu zuò qiáo, guò le qiáo jiù dào le
There's a bridge up ahead — once you cross it, you're there.
Sense 2: spend / celebrate (time, festivals, life)
Because a birthday or a year is something you "get through," 过 becomes the everyday verb for spending and celebrating: 过生日 (celebrate a birthday), 过年 / 过节 (celebrate the New Year / a festival), and 过日子 (literally "pass the days" = get by, live one's life).
你今年生日打算怎么过？
nǐ jīnnián shēngrì dǎsuàn zěnme guò
How are you planning to spend your birthday this year?
我们一起过春节吧，别一个人在家。
wǒmen yìqǐ guò Chūnjié ba, bié yí ge rén zài jiā
Let's spend Spring Festival together — don't stay home alone.
这几年他们的日子过得越来越好。
zhè jǐ nián tāmen de rìzi guò de yuè lái yuè hǎo
These past few years their life has been getting better and better.
Sense 3: exceed / go past / too much
From "cross a line" comes "go beyond": 过分 (guòfèn) "excessive, going too far," 超过 (chāoguò) "exceed," 过头 (guòtóu) "overdo." You also 坐过站 "ride past your stop" and 过了三点 "gone past three o'clock."
你这么说就有点过分了。
nǐ zhème shuō jiù yǒudiǎn guòfèn le
Putting it that way is going a bit too far.
我坐过站了，得往回走两站。
wǒ zuò guò zhàn le, děi wǎng huí zǒu liǎng zhàn
I rode past my stop — I have to go back two stops.
Sense 4: directional complement 过来 / 过去
Attached to another verb, 过来 (guòlai) and 过去 (guòqu) mark motion across toward or away from the speaker, or a turn of state: 走过来 "come over," 翻过去 "flip over," 醒过来 "come to / regain consciousness," 晕过去 "faint / pass out." The full directional system is on the directional-complement page.
你过来一下，我有话跟你说。
nǐ guòlai yíxià, wǒ yǒu huà gēn nǐ shuō
Come over here a sec — I need to tell you something.
他一下子晕过去了，快叫救护车！
tā yíxiàzi yūn guòqu le, kuài jiào jiùhùchē
He suddenly fainted — call an ambulance, quick!
Key collocations
| Phrase | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 过马路 | guò mǎlù | cross the street |
| 过桥 / 过河 | guò qiáo / guò hé | cross a bridge / river |
| 过生日 | guò shēngrì | celebrate a birthday |
| 过年 / 过节 | guò nián / guò jié | celebrate New Year / a festival |
| 过日子 | guò rìzi | live one's life, get by |
| 过分 | guòfèn | excessive, going too far |
| 超过 | chāoguò | exceed, surpass |
| 过来 / 过去 | guòlai / guòqu | come over / go over (directional) |
| 坐过站 | zuò guò zhàn | ride past one's stop |
今年过年你回老家吗？
jīnnián guò nián nǐ huí lǎojiā ma
Are you going back to your hometown for New Year this year?
Grammar notes
As a full verb, 过 (guò) takes 了, resultatives, and 得-complements freely: 过了 "have crossed / spent," 过得好 "getting on well," 过完 "finish spending." Do not confuse this with the toneless experiential particle: in 你去过西安吗 "Have you been to Xi'an?", 过 (guo) is unstressed and means "ever done" — see experiential 过. For the "spend time" sense, formal writing prefers 度过 (dùguò) "spend / pass through (a period)" — 度过难关 "pull through a crisis" — while spoken Chinese keeps everyday 过. And note that 过 never means "spend money": that job belongs to 花 (huā). For the broader verb-plus-object machinery see action verbs and their objects.
Common Mistakes
1. Dropping 来/去 on the directional 过. As a complement, 过 is almost always completed by 来 or 去.
❌ 时间不早了，你快过。
Incorrect — directional 过 needs 来/去: 过来 / 过去.
✅ 时间不早了，你快过来吧。
shíjiān bù zǎo le, nǐ kuài guòlai ba
It's getting late — hurry and come over.
2. Using 过 for spending money. English "spend" covers money and time, but 过 is only for time/life. Money is 花.
❌ 这个月我过了不少钱。
Incorrect — 过 doesn't take money; 'spend money' is 花钱.
✅ 这个月我花了不少钱。
zhège yuè wǒ huā le bù shǎo qián
I've spent quite a bit of money this month.
3. Reading the toneless experiential 过 as the crossing verb. In 去过 the 过 is a particle, not "go across."
❌ 我去过北京。（读成「穿过去北京」）
Not 'I crossed over to Beijing' — here 过 (guo, toneless) is the experiential particle 'have done', a separate word from the verb.
✅ 我去过北京，那儿很漂亮。
wǒ qù guo Běijīng, nàr hěn piàoliang
I've been to Beijing — it's lovely there. (experiential 过; see the aspect page)
4. Using bare 过 for "pass an exam." In writing, "pass a test" is 通过 or 及格, not the crossing verb.
❌ 我这次数学过了考试。
Incorrect (nonstandard order/verb) — 'pass an exam' is 通过考试 / 及格.
✅ 我这次数学考试及格了。
wǒ zhè cì shùxué kǎoshì jígé le
I passed the math exam this time. (colloquially also 数学我过了)
Key Takeaways
- The verb 过 (guò, tone 4) means "cross / pass / go over," extended to "spend / celebrate" time: 过马路, 过生日, 过日子.
- It is a different word from the toneless experiential particle 过 (guo) "have done" — object after it → verb; stuck after another verb → particle.
- Sense of "exceed" gives 过分, 超过, 坐过站; the directional 过来/过去 marks crossing motion or a turn of state (醒过来, 晕过去).
- 过 never spends money — that's 花; formal "spend a period" often lifts to 度过.
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- The Experiential 过 (guo): Have Ever DoneHSK 2 — 过 after a verb marks an EXPERIENCE — 'have done at least once in your life': 我去过中国 'I've been to China', 你吃过北京烤鸭吗 'have you ever eaten Beijing duck?'. It's the 'have you ever…' of Chinese, distinct from 了's specific completed event.
- Compound Directionals: Path + 来/去HSK 3 — Compound directional complements stack a path morpheme (上/下/进/出/回/过/起) and a deictic 来/去 after the verb: 走进来 'walk in (toward me)', 跑出去 'run out', 拿回来 'bring back' — and the object slots inside, before 来/去: 拿出一本书来 'take out a book'.
- 来 (lái) — to comeHSK 1 — 来 (lái) is 'come (toward the speaker)' — a full verb (他来了), a directional marker (进来, 拿来, 回来), a serial 'come / let me' (我来帮你), the diner's 'I'll have' (来一个), and 'bring about' (带来). It always points motion toward the here-and-now; 去 points away.