TongTong
Sign in

过节 (guò jié) — to celebrate a festival; the period after a festival (in phrases like 过节后)

Definition

A general verb meaning 'to celebrate a festival' (any holiday). 过年 is a fixed phrase used specifically for celebrating the Chinese New Year.

verb
to celebrate a festivalthe period after a festival (in phrases like 过节后)

Examples

  • 过节。
    Měi nián chūn jié wǒ men dōu hé jiā rén yì qǐ guò jié.
    Every Spring Festival we celebrate with our family.
  • 。
    Wǒ hé péng you guò le yí gè kuài lè de jié.
    My friend and I had a happy festival celebration.
  • 过节。
    guò jié Hòu dà jiā yòu yào kāi shǐ gōng zuò le.
    After the festival, everyone has to start working again.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

过guòcelebrate/pass
节jiéfestival

过 means to pass or celebrate, and 节 is the festival being passed through.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3Festivals & Holidays

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.