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过家家 (guò jiā jiā) — to play house (children's game); (figurative) to engage in trivial or pointless activities; to treat something unseriously

Definition

A separable verb meaning 'to play house' (a children's pretend game). Figuratively, it describes adults treating something seriously as if it were just make-believe — i.e., not real or trivial.

verb
to play house (children's game)(figurative) to engage in trivial or pointless activitiesto treat something unseriously

Examples

  • 过家家。
    Xiǎo shí hou wǒ men jīng cháng zài yuàn zi lǐ guò jiā jiā.
    When we were little, we often played house in the yard.
  • ，过家家。
    Tā men kāi huì wán quán bú rèn zhēn, jiǎn zhí shì zài guò jiā jiā.
    They’re not serious at all in the meeting; it’s like they’re just playing house.
  • 过家家，。
    guò jiā jiā Suī rán yǒu qù, dàn kě bù néng dàng zhēn.
    Playing house may be fun, but you can’t take it seriously.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

过guòplay/spend
家家home/family
家jiāhome家jiāhome
联合Coordinate

过 gives playing or spending and 家家 gives home or family, together naming the children's game of playing house.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →
Appears in
Games & Puzzles

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