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过重 (guò zhòng) — to be overweight (of a person, luggage, or burden)

Definition

过重 (guò zhòng) means 'exceeding the normal/allowed weight' — used for people, luggage, and loads. Pairs with 体重 (body weight) for people and with baggage/load limits for things.

verb
to be overweight (of a person, luggage, or burden)

Examples

  • 过重，。
    Tā de xíng li guò zhòng le, xū yào fù é wài fèi yòng.
    His luggage is overweight, so he needs to pay an extra fee.
  • ，过重。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā jiǎn féi, yīn wèi tā tǐ zhòng guò zhòng.
    The doctor advised her to lose weight because she is overweight.
  • 过重。
    Zhè zuò qiáo chéng shòu bù liǎo guò zhòng de kǎ chē.
    This bridge cannot bear overweight trucks.

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.

过guòexcessively
重zhòngheavy

过重 means 过 (excessively) with 重 (heavy), describing something too heavy.

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →
Appears in
Fitness & Exercise

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