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过场 (guò chǎng) — (theatre) interlude; crossing the stage; (figurative) a mere formality; going through the motions

Definition

A theatre term for the brief cross or interlude between scenes; figuratively, something done as a formality with no real substance. The figurative 'going through the motions' sense is the one you'll meet in everyday discussion.

noun
(theatre) interludecrossing the stage(figurative) a mere formalitygoing through the motions

Examples

  • 过场，。
    Xì qǔ zhōng de guò chǎng hěn duǎn, zhǐ yǒu jǐ miǎo zhōng.
    The theatre interlude in the opera is very short, only a few seconds.
  • 过场，。
    Tā zhǐ shì zǒu le gè guò chǎng, bìng méi yǒu rèn zhēn jiǎn chá.
    He just went through the motions and didn't check carefully.
  • 过场，。
    Zhè cì huì yì bú guò shì guò chǎng, jié guǒ zǎo yǐ jué dìng le.
    This meeting was just a formality; the decision was already made.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

过guòcross
场chǎngstage

过 means to cross and 场 means the stage or scene, so the word names a brief passage across it.

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsFilm & Theater

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