How to say “the past” in Chinese
the past
“The past” in Chinese is 过去, guò qù: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
过去 is read guò qù: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 辶 “walk”. As a particle of experience it is read with the neutral tone: guo.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “过去”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 过去. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 寒冷的冬天终于过去了hánlěngdedōngtiānzhōngyúguòqùleThe cold winter is finally over.
- 十年过去了，这里的一切依然没有变。shíniánguòqùle,zhèlǐdeyíqièyīránméiyǒubiànTen years have passed, and everything here is still the same.
- 寒冬终于过去了hándōngzhōngyúguòqùleThe harsh winter is finally over.
More words from the lesson “Earlier and later”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “the past” in Chinese?
“The past” in Chinese is 过去, pinyin guòqù.
What does 过去 mean?
过去 (guòqù) means “the past”.
How do you write 过去?
过去 is 2 characters: 过 (guò) — pass; 去 (qù) — go, leave. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 过去?
过去 is read guòqù. Tones: guò — fourth tone, qù — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“the past” in the lesson “Earlier and later”
This word is from the topic “Seasons and time” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free