过期 (guò qī) — to expire (of food, documents, etc.); to be ove…

Definition

过期 focuses on a past-due time limit (food, documents, contracts). To expire / fall due is to 到期; 逾期 emphasizes having missed a deadline.

verb

to expire (of food, documents, etc.)to be overdueto be out of date

过期，。
Niú nǎi yǐ jīng guò qī le, bù néng hē le.
The milk has expired and cannot be drunk.
过期。
Wǒ de hù zhào xià ge yuè guò qī.
My passport expires next month.
过期。
Zhè xiē guò qī zá zhì kě yǐ rēng diào.
These outdated magazines can be thrown away.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

过guòpass/exceed

期qīperiod/deadline

过 means to pass or exceed, and 期 is the appointed time, so the deadline has run out.

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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Appears in