往 wǎng / wàng — to go (in a direction); past; previous; towards; toward; (of a train) bound for
这趟火车开往上海。Zhè tàng huǒ chē kāi wǎng Shàng hǎi.This train is heading to Shanghai.
Common words: 前往 (qián wǎng)、交往 (jiāo wǎng)、往往 (wǎng wǎng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "past"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "past", including 往 (wǎng / wàng), 昔 (xī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "past" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 往 (wǎng / wàng), 昔 (xī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wǎng, wàng, xī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 往 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 往 wǎng / wàngto go (in a direction); past; previous; towards; toward; (of a train) bound forUseful words: 前往, 交往
- 昔 xīpast; formerUseful words: 昔日, 昔年
Common words for these 2 "past" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 往 (wǎng / wàng) — so "past" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "past".
昔 xī — past; former
和昔日的同学重逢，他十分高兴。Hé xī rì de tóng xué chóng féng, tā shí fēn gāo xìng.Reuniting with his former classmates, he was very happy.
Common words: 昔日 (xī rì)、昔年 (xī nián)、果昔 (guǒ xī)
All 2 characters
Open 往、昔 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.