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过度 Vs. 过分

buanryoh

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过度 and 过分 are both adjectives meaning "excessive, undue, over-", but how can we distinguish between the two when writing or speaking Chinese?

I'm not 100% sure on this one myself， it's appears that they are interchangeable for emotions such as 过分高兴 and 过度高兴. I asked a Chinese friend about the difference between the two; she replied "个人认为没啥区别，但“度”比“分”成分多" - not really helping that much.

I have broken 过度 down to two common uses:

1) describing something that you do to yourself like 饮酒 or 减肥， or even 过度治疗

2) describing an emotion 过度兴奋

过分, according to my dictionary, is used for “说话，做事”; i.e. doing something or speaking excessively. I think it emphasizes reacting excessively or "going over the top" perhaps. Rather than an objective quantity emphasized by 过度1， 过分 implies a subjective consideration of the preceding action. i.e. you are making a judgement on what has happened. 过度 appears to be more neutral/objective in this regard.

Consider this example: 因为老公过度喝酒的问题离婚是不是太过分？

This fits in with my above explanation; we have the seemingly quantifiable “过度喝酒” with the subjective reaction from the writer.

Does the common collocations 过分要求，过分强调 fit this explanation as well? I would suggest that when somebody makes a 过分要求， they are reacting based on an understanding of what is being explicitly or implicitly offered.

For example, when a customer walks into a shop, there is an implicit promise that the staff will offer the best services possible. When you 过分要求 a staff member, you are overreacting (反应过度) to the understanding of this tacit agreement.

What do you think?

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Zomac

Zomac 11

Posted

I agree your explanation on 过分/过度 as an adverb.

However, as an adjective, it seems to me that 份 may refer to a Confucian's theory that every member has the responsibility of his own position. If what you do doesn't match your position, it's 过份.

Example:

- Why did you say "fxxk" to me? I'm your teacher! 太过份 (It implies that a student did something that he shouldn't do in his social status or position)

- Your husband always gets drunk and beat you like a dog, 太过份了! (it implies a

husband doesn't fulfill his responsibility and did something he shouldn't do in his position)

过度 can't be used in the above example.

buanryoh

buanryoh 10

Posted

Hi Zomac,

I think we are saying the same thing but in different ways. My mistake was to talk about them as adjectives even when in some examples they are acting as adverbs.

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