(dù guò) - to spend, to get through (a period of time) in Mandarin
dùguòTraditional: 度過
Translation
to spend, to get through (a period of time)
Word origin
A compound of 度 (dù, to pass or measure out) and 过 (guò, to pass by). Time measured out and passed through.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 度 (dù, to pass, to measure) + 过 (guò, to pass by)
Stroke order
度
过
Examples
。
We spent a week by the sea.
。
He got through an extremely difficult year.
。
I hope you have a pleasant weekend.
春。
She spent the Spring Festival with her family.
。
That stretch of time was hard to get through.
度过 (dù guò) means to spend or live through a stretch of time. The object is always a period: 一个星期, 童年, 那几年, 一个愉快的周末. It carries a faint weight, as though the time had to be got through, which is why it fits both holidays and hard years.
It is the standard verb in good wishes. 祝你度过一个愉快的假期 is the sort of line that ends a formal email.
The trap is the English verb spend, which covers time and money alike. Chinese splits them: money is 花, and 度过 is only ever time. Watch also for its homophone 渡过, written with the water radical, which is for crossing a river or coming through a crisis.
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度过: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "度过" (to spend, to get through (a period of time)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 49.