过渡

• Pinyin: guò dù
• Hanzi breakdown: 过 = 辶 (walk) + 寸 (inch), meaning to pass; 渡 = 氵 (water) + 度 (degree), meaning to cross water

Meaning

To transition; to make a gradual change. Moving from one state, stage, or style to another.

Used for political transitions (过渡政府, transitional government), life transitions, technological shifts, etc. Common collocations: 过渡期 (transition period), 过渡阶段 (transitional phase), 平稳过渡 (smooth transition). Emphasizes gradual, managed change rather than abrupt shifts.

Examples

1. 公司正处于转型的过渡期，员工需要一段时间来适应新的工作模式。 The company is currently in a transition period of transformation, and employees need some time to adapt to the new working model.
2. 这款产品是从旧版本到全新版本之间的过渡产品。 This product is a transitional product between the old version and the completely new version.
3. 退休后如何平稳过渡到新的生活状态是很多人要面对的问题。 How to smoothly transition to a new lifestyle after retirement is an issue many people face.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, business, life stages

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我们需要一个过渡期。(We need a transition period.)
• 这只是一个过渡方案。(This is just a transitional plan.)

Don't Say

• 把突然改变说成过渡 (Don't call an abrupt change 过渡 — it implies a gradual, managed transition)

Origin & History

Compound of 过 (pass, cross) + 渡 (cross water). Originally meant crossing a river, then extended to crossing from one state to another.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal