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过时 (guò shí) — outdated, out of fashion, old-fashioned; past the deadline, later than the agreed time

Definition

过时 covers two senses: 'outdated/out of fashion' (styles, ideas) — similar to 老 and 陈旧 but specifically about being behind the times. Also 'past the deadline', like 过期 and 逾期, but applies more to events than documents.

outdatedout of fashionold-fashionedpast the deadlinelater than the agreed time

Examples

  • 过时。
    Zhè zhǒng kuǎn shì yǐ jīng guò shí le.
    This style is already outdated.
  • 过时。
    Zhè ge xiǎng fǎ zǎo jiù guò shí le.
    This idea is long out of date.
  • 过时，。
    Bào míng guò shí le, bù néng cān jiā.
    Registration is past the deadline, you can't participate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

过guòpass
时shítime

过 means to pass, and 时 is time, so the relevant time has gone by and no longer fits.

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 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Time (Abstract)

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