经过
jīngguò · HSK 2
pass
🚶➡️ 经 (pass through) + 过 (cross over) = pass through, undergo
经 carries the sense of going through or experiencing (as in 经历 'experience'); 过 means to cross or pass. Together 经过 covers passing by a place, going through a process, or undergoing an event.
经 — silk radical 纟 + 巠 (underground stream)
Originally written 經, combining the silk radical 糸 with 巠, depicting vertical threads on a loom. The core meaning was 'warp threads,' which extended to 'pass through,' 'classic text,' and 'manage.' The phonetic 巠 also suggests the sound.
过 — 辶 walk radical + 呙 (phonetic)
过 combines the walking radical 辶, suggesting motion or passage, with 呙 serving as the phonetic component. Originally it depicted crossing or passing by on foot, which extended to meanings like 'to pass,' 'to cross over,' and later 'past' or 'excessive.' The simplified form replaces the traditional 過.