渡过
dù guò · to cross; to get through
小船安全地渡过了这条河。
The small boat crossed the river safely.
Chinese character · HSK 6
渡 (dù) — “to cross (a river / sea)”
The water radical '氵' signifies the river, while the phonetic component '度' is visually transformed into a ferry boat with a canopy (广), a passenger (廿), and crossed oars (又), representing the act of crossing.
Memory cue
Cross the water (氵) in a ferry boat with a canopy (广) and crossed oars (又) to safely reach the other shore.
Video mnemonic
Watch 渡 in motion
See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.
Common ways to use 渡
渡 (dù) can describe physically crossing water, a place for crossing, or a figurative transition between stages.
渡口
dù kǒu · ferry crossing; ferry landing
村子旁边有一个渡口。
There is a ferry crossing beside the village.
Usage note: Think of this as the place where people cross the water.
过渡
guò dù · transition; to transition
这个计划需要一个过渡阶段。
This plan needs a transitional stage.
Usage note: 过渡 is a transition between states; do not confuse it with 渡过, which means to cross or get through something.
Inside the character
- 氵 (water) — meaning component. The water side often marks liquid, flow, washing, river, sea, or clarity.
- 度 (degree / measure) — sound component.
Where 渡 comes from
A phono-semantic compound: water (氵) provides the semantic meaning of crossing a body of water, while 度 (dù) provides the pronunciation.
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