大过 (dà guò) — big mistake, major demerit

Definition

A formal, written term for a 'big mistake' or 'major demerit' (often in workplace or disciplinary records). The verb 犯 (to commit) is the common collocation.

noun
big mistakemajor demerit
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 大过。
    Tā zài gōng zuò zhōng fàn le yí gè dà guò.
    He made a big mistake at work.
  • 大过，。
    Zhè ge cuò wù shì gè dà guò, bì xū yán sù chǔ lǐ.
    This mistake is a major demerit and must be dealt with seriously.
  • 大过。
    Tā yīn wèi duō cì chí dào bèi jì le yí gè dà guò.
    He received a major demerit for being late many times.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

大dàbig
过guòfault

大 adds “big” to 过, meaning fault, so the word denotes a serious mistake.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 過; 过 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi過guò
Same sound today

The traditional form 過 pairs 辵 (walk) with 咼 as a sound component; the simplified 过 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 过 →

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