过路人

過路人
guòlùrén
noun #32,534

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 passer-by
  2. 2 passing stranger
  3. 3 (figurative) someone who briefly enters one's life

Examples

Tā xiàng yīgè guòlùrén wèn lù.
He asked a passer-by for directions.
Duì tā ér yán, tā zhǐ shì yīgè guòlùrén.
To her, he was just a passer-by in her life.

Tips

usage
Beyond the literal meaning ('person walking past'), 过路人 is a frequent metaphor in songs and breakup lyrics for someone who used to matter but is no longer significant — 'just a passer-by in my life.'
memory
(pass) + (road) + (person) = 'road-passing person.' The structure is the same as 行人 (xíngrén, pedestrian) but more specific to people walking past.

Stroke Order

guò
rén