过世 (guò shì) — to pass away, to die (euphemistic) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A polite, formal way to say someone has died — softer and more respectful than 死. Often used in writing, obituaries, and when speaking about others.

verb

to pass awayto die (euphemistic)

Examples

过世。
Tā de yé ye qù nián guò shì le.
His grandfather passed away last year.
过世，。
Tīng dào tā guò shì de xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu hěn nán guò.
Everyone was very sad to hear the news of his passing.
。
Tā de fù qīn yǐ jīng guò le shì.
His father has already passed away.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

'过' expresses passing from '世', the world, giving the euphemism for death.

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.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

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