====== guò: 过 - to pass, cross; (past experience); excessively ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** guo Chinese, guo grammar, how to use guo in Chinese, 过 meaning, guo vs le, past experience particle Chinese, cross in Chinese, celebrate in Chinese, guonian, guoshengri, Chinese grammar particle
  * **Summary:** Learn the many uses of the versatile Chinese character **过 (guò)**. This essential word acts as a verb meaning "to pass" or "cross" (like crossing a street or celebrating a holiday), and as a crucial grammar particle to talk about past experiences (e.g., "I **have been** to China"). We'll break down the important difference between **过 (guò)** and **了 (le)**, explore its cultural significance in celebrating festivals like **过年 (Guònián)**, and show you how to use it in everyday conversation.
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** guò
  * **Part of Speech:** Verb, Aspect Particle, Adverb
  * **HSK Level:** HSK 2
  * **Concise Definition:** A multi-functional character meaning 'to pass/cross,' used to indicate past experiences, or to mean 'excessively.'
  * **In a Nutshell:** The core idea of **过 (guò)** is **movement beyond a point**. This can be a physical point (crossing a road), a point in time (celebrating a birthday, "passing" into a new year of age), a point in your life's experience (having done something before), or a point of social acceptability (being "too" loud or "excessively" kind). Understanding this central concept of "going past a boundary" is the key to mastering all its uses.
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **过 (guò):** The simplified character is composed of the radical **辶 (chuò)** on the bottom and left. This radical means "to walk" or "movement," and it immediately gives the character a sense of motion, travel, and passing through. It's the same radical found in words like [[送]] (sòng - to send) and [[进]] (jìn - to enter). This "movement" component is the heart of **过 (guò)**'s meaning, whether it's physically moving across a space or moving through time.
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
  * **The "Crossing Over" of Life's Milestones:** In Chinese, you don't "have" a birthday or "celebrate" the New Year; you **过 (guò)** them.
  * **过年 (Guònián):** "To pass the year." This is far more profound than just "celebrating New Year's." It signifies a collective journey, a "crossing over" a threshold from the old year into the new. It's a time of cleansing, renewal, and family reunion, with the action of "passing" being central to the entire festival's meaning.
  * **过生日 (guò shēngrì):** "To pass a birthday." This phrasing emphasizes the passage of time and the crossing into another year of one's life. While an American might say, "I'm having a birthday party," the Chinese expression focuses on the personal milestone of successfully passing through another year.
  * **The Value of Moderation:** The adverbial use of **过 (guò)** to mean "excessively" (e.g., in [[过分]] - guòfèn) subtly connects to the traditional cultural value of moderation and avoiding extremes (中庸 - zhōngyōng). Saying someone's actions are "过 (guò)" implies they have "gone past" the appropriate limit. A very common and polite way to deflect a compliment is to say **您过奖了 (nín guòjiǎng le)**, literally "You have over-praised me," which perfectly demonstrates this sense of crossing a line of appropriateness.
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
**过 (guò)** is an extremely common character with four primary functions in daily conversation.
  *   **1. As a Verb: To Pass, Cross, or Spend (Time)**
    *   This is the most literal meaning. It's used for physical movement across something or for the passage of time.
    *   *Examples:* 过马路 (guò mǎlù - to cross the street), 过桥 (guò qiáo - to cross a bridge), 过周末 (guò zhōumò - to spend the weekend).
  *   **2. As an Aspect Particle: Indicating Past Experience**
    *   This is one of the most important grammar points for beginners. Placing **过 (guò)** after a verb indicates that the speaker has had the *experience* of doing that action at some unspecified time in the past.
    *   *Structure:* `Subject + Verb + 过 (guò) + Object`
    *   *Example:* 我吃过北京烤鸭。(Wǒ chī guo Běijīng kǎoyā.) - I have eaten Beijing roast duck before.
  *   **3. As a Result Complement: To Go Over/Past**
    *   When attached to another verb (like to go, to run, to fly), it indicates the result of moving past a location.
    *   *Examples:* 走过去 (zǒu guò qù - to walk over there), 跑过去 (pǎo guò qù - to run over there).
  *   **4. As an Adverb: Excessively, Too**
    *   Placed before an adjective, **过 (guò)** means "too" or "excessively." This is often used in a slightly negative or critical sense.
    *   *Examples:* 这个汤过咸了。(Zhège tāng guò xián le.) - This soup is too salty.
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:**
  * 过马路的时候一定要小心。
  * Pinyin: **Guò** mǎlù de shíhòu yīdìng yào xiǎoxīn.
  * English: You must be careful when crossing the street.
  * Analysis: Here, **过 (guò)** is used as a straightforward verb meaning "to cross."
  * **Example 2:**
  * 你去**过**中国吗？
  * Pinyin: Nǐ qù **guo** Zhōngguó ma?
  * English: Have you ever been to China?
  * Analysis: This is the classic use of **过 (guò)** as a past experience particle. The question isn't "When did you go?" but "Do you have the experience of having gone?"
  * **Example 3:**
  * 我看**过**这部电影，但是忘了结局。
  * Pinyin: Wǒ kàn **guo** zhè bù diànyǐng, dànshì wàng le jiéjú.
  * English: I have seen this movie before, but I forgot the ending.
  * Analysis: This sentence perfectly illustrates how **过 (guò)** signifies a past experience that is disconnected from the present. The action of "watching" is complete and in the past.
  * **Example 4:**
  * 我们一家人在一起**过**年，非常热闹。
  * Pinyin: Wǒmen yī jiā rén zài yīqǐ **guò**nián, fēicháng rènào.
  * English: My whole family spends the New Year together; it's very lively.
  * Analysis: This shows the cultural use of **过 (guò)** for celebrating or "passing" a major festival.
  * **Example 5:**
  * 时间**过**得真快！
  * Pinyin: Shíjiān **guò** de zhēn kuài!
  * English: Time passes so fast!
  * Analysis: A very common set phrase where **过 (guò)** means "to pass" in the context of time.
  * **Example 6:**
  * 您**过**奖了，我的中文还不太好。
  * Pinyin: Nín **guò**jiǎng le, wǒ de Zhōngwén hái bù tài hǎo.
  * English: You're flattering me (lit: you have over-praised), my Chinese is still not that good.
  * Analysis: This demonstrates the adverbial meaning of "excessively" within the polite set phrase **过奖 (guòjiǎng)**.
  * **Example 7:**
  * 别担心，一切都会**过**去的。
  * Pinyin: Bié dānxīn, yīqiè dōu huì **guò**qù de.
  * English: Don't worry, everything will pass.
  * Analysis: Here, **过去 (guòqù)** acts as a result complement, meaning "to pass by" or "to be over." It's used to talk about difficulties coming to an end.
  * **Example 8:**
  * 他从我面前走**过**去，一句话也没说。
  * Pinyin: Tā cóng wǒ miànqián zǒu **guò**qù, yī jù huà yě méi shuō.
  * English: He walked past me without saying a word.
  * Analysis: **走过去 (zǒu guòqù)** is a directional complement. **走 (zǒu)** is the action (walk), and **过去 (guòqù)** is the direction/result (over and away).
  * **Example 9:**
  * 我对花生**过**敏。
  * Pinyin: Wǒ duì huāshēng **guò**mǐn.
  * English: I am allergic to peanuts.
  * Analysis: **过敏 (guòmǐn)** is a set vocabulary word. The **过 (guò)** here implies an "excessive" or abnormal sensitivity.
  * **Example 10:**
  * 我从来没吃**过**这么好吃的东西！
  * Pinyin: Wǒ cónglái méi chī **guo** zhème hǎochī de dōngxi!
  * English: I have never eaten anything this delicious before!
  * Analysis: This shows the negative form of the experience particle: `没(有) + Verb + 过`. It means to have *never* had the experience.
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **The Ultimate Showdown: 过 (guò) vs. 了 (le)**
  * This is the most common point of confusion for learners. They are NOT interchangeable.
  * **过 (guò): Indicates EXPERIENCE.** The action happened at some unspecified time in the past and is not ongoing. It emphasizes that you *have the experience* in your life.
    * `我看**过**那本书。` (Wǒ kàn **guo** nà běn shū.) -> "I have read that book before." (I have this experience. Maybe last year, maybe ten years ago. It's not connected to the present.)
  * **了 (le): Indicates COMPLETION.** The action is finished, often with relevance to the present moment or as part of a sequence of events.
    * `我**看**了那本书。` (Wǒ kàn **le** nà běn shū.) -> "I read that book." (I completed the action. Maybe I just finished it, and now I can give it to you.)
  * **Common Mistake:** Using **过 (guò)** for a unique, completed action.
  * **Incorrect:** `昨天我买过一件新衣服。` (Zuótiān wǒ mǎi guo yī jiàn xīn yīfu.)
  * **Correct:** `昨天我买**了**一件新衣服。` (Zuótiān wǒ mǎi **le** yī jiàn xīn yīfu.)
  * **Why it's wrong:** Buying a specific shirt yesterday is a completed action, not a general life "experience." You should use **了 (le)**. You would only use **过 (guò)** if you were saying something like, `我在那个商店买过衣服` (I've bought clothes at that store before).
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * [[了]] (le) - The aspect particle for completion, the most important term to contrast with **过 (guò)**.
  * [[过去]] (guòqù) - A noun meaning "the past." Literally "gone past."
  * [[经过]] (jīngguò) - A verb meaning "to pass by" or a noun meaning "the process/course of events."
  * [[难过]] (nánguò) - An adjective meaning "sad" or "upset." Literally "difficult to get through/pass."
  * [[过分]] (guòfèn) - An adjective meaning "excessive" or "over the top."
  * [[过奖]] (guòjiǎng) - A verb phrase meaning "to overpraise." Used as a polite, humble response to a compliment.
  * [[过敏]] (guòmǐn) - A verb meaning "to be allergic" or a noun for "allergy."
  * [[过失]] (guòshī) - A noun meaning "a fault, error, or mistake." It implies a "transgression."
  * [[度过]] (dùguò) - A more formal verb for "to spend (time)" or "to pass (time)." E.g., `度过一个愉快的下午` (spend a pleasant afternoon).