verb HSK 4
kuà
to step over · to stride across · to cross · to span

Meaning

means to cross over something by taking a large step or stride. It conveys the physical action of moving from one side to another by stepping over an obstacle or gap. The character can also be used metaphorically to describe crossing boundaries, spanning time periods, or bridging different domains.

Usage

is commonly used for physical actions like stepping over thresholds or barriers, but also appears in abstract contexts like 国 (transnational), 年 (spanning the new year), or 界 (cross-boundary). It often suggests overcoming a division or connecting two separate things.

Examples

  1. 01
    他一步过了门槛。
    kuà guò le mén kǎn.
    He stepped over the threshold in one stride.
  2. 02
    这座桥越了整条河流。
    Zhè zuò qiáo kuà yuè le zhěng tiáo liú.
    This bridge spans the entire river.

Measure words

  • 跨一步

Common collocations

  • kuà guó
    transnational, multinational
  • kuà nián
    to span the new year, New Year's countdown
  • kuà yuè
    to stride across, to transcend
  • kuà jiè
    cross-border, crossover

Origin

The character contains the foot radical 足, indicating its connection to leg and stepping actions, combined with the phonetic component 夸.

Related