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过量 (guò liàng) — to exceed the limit; to be excessive

Definition

过量 (guò liàng) means a quantity going beyond a safe or appropriate limit — typically dosage, food, or activity, not behavior. Compared with 过分 ('over the top', about conduct) and 超标 ('exceeds a standard/regulation'), 过量 focuses on amount.

verb
to exceed the limitto be excessive

Examples

  • 过量。
    Chī fàn guò liàng huì dǎo zhì wèi bù shū fu.
    Eating excessively can cause stomach discomfort.
  • 过量。
    Yùn dòng guò liàng huì shāng hài shēn tǐ.
    Exercising excessively can harm your body.
  • 过量。
    Měi tiān hē kā fēi bú yào guò liàng.
    Don't overdo it with coffee every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

过guòexceed
量liángamount or limit

过 (exceed) and 量 (amount or limit) combine to mean exceed the limit.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 日日rìsun
  • 東東dōngbag; east

量 has 日 (sun) over 東 (bag; east). Some explanations suggest measuring under the sun or the sun rising in the east, but the exact origin is unclear.

Open 量 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Quantity & Amount

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.