Chinese word

过期

Pronunciation

Pinyinguò qī

Meaning

  • verbexpire

Example

护照过期了，需要换一本。hù zhào guò qī le xū yào huàn yì běn

The passport has expired, so it needs to be replaced.

Illustration for 过期 (expire)

More examples

这包药过期了，不能再吃。zhè bāo yào guò qī le bù néng zài chī

This medicine has expired, so it can no longer be taken.

Core concept

Something stays usable only inside a set period; once that boundary is passed, its use is no longer accepted.

Common phrases

  • 护照过期hù zhào guò qī

    passport expire

  • 药品过期yào pǐn guò qī

    medicine expire

  • 合同过期hé tóng guò qī

    contract expire

Similar words

到期dào qī: Reaching the set date when a period, payment, or agreement is due.
逾期yú qī: Passing a required deadline for payment, filing, or another procedure and becoming late.
失效shī xiào: Losing legal force or practical function and becoming unusable.
作废zuò fèi: Being officially declared invalid, so it no longer has legal force or can be used.

Definition in Chinese

超过规定的时间而不再有效或适用。chāo guò guī dìng de shí jiān ér bú zài yǒu xiào huò shì yòng

Word origin

The word 过期 (guòqī, "expire") joins 过 (guò, "go beyond") with 期 (qī, "period or deadline"), so its meaning is tied to going beyond the allowed period.

Usage tips

  • English often uses "expired" for documents, food, and offers, while Chinese can use the same everyday word across these situations without needing a different verb.

Other meanings

  • expirationnoun
  • lapsenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 过期费guò qī fèilate feenoun

Word lists with this word