过节
guò jié · HSK 7
to celebrate a festival
🏮🎉 过节 = 过 pass/spend + 节 festival = to spend the festival
过 means to pass or spend (time), and 节 is a festival or holiday. Together they mean to spend the holiday, i.e. to celebrate a festival. By extension it can also mean after the festival is over, once that time has passed.
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.
节 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 即
Originally written 節, depicting a bamboo joint — the segmented node where a stalk divides. The bamboo radical ⺮ gives the meaning, while 即 supplies the sound. From 'bamboo joint' the meaning expanded to any segment, hence 'section,' 'festival' (a marked point in the year), and 'restraint' (knowing where to stop).