过 guò — (experienced action marker); to cross; to go over; to pass (time); to celebrate (a holiday); to live
我去过北京两次。Wǒ qù guò Běi jīng liǎng cì.I have been to Beijing twice.
Common words: 不过 (bù guò)、通过 (tōng guò)、过去 (guò qù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to pass"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to pass", including 过 (guò), 递 (dì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to pass" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 过 (guò), 递 (dì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span guò, dì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 过 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 过 guò(experienced action marker); to cross; to go over; to pass (time); to celebrate (a holiday); to liveUseful words: 不过, 通过
- 递 dìto hand over; to pass; to giveUseful words: 快递, 传递
Common words for these 2 "to pass" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 过 (guò) — so "to pass" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
不过bù guòonly; merely; no more than; but通过tōng guòto pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation)过去guò qù(in the) past; former; previous; to go over快递kuài dìexpress delivery传递chuán dìto transmit; to pass on to sb else; (math.) transitive递给dì gěito hand it (i.e. the aforementioned item) to (sb)
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 "to pass".
递 dì — to hand over; to pass; to give
请把那本书递给我。Qǐng bǎ nà běn shū dì gěi wǒ.Please hand me that book.
Common words: 快递 (kuài dì)、传递 (chuán dì)、递给 (dì gěi)
All 2 characters
Open 过、递 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.