---
title: "Guotou Meaning: 过头 (guòtóu) Means “to go too far”"
description: "过头 (traditional 過頭, guòtóu) means “to go too far; excessive”. Hear its tones, see what 过 and 头 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guotou"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 过头 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

过头 guòtóu

## to go too far; excessive

## It can also mean

- overhead; above one's head

## Its characters

1. 过 guò too
2. 头 tóu head

## In a sentence

玩笑开过头就不好笑了。 A joke stops being funny when it goes too far.

[More about 过头](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%BF%87%E5%A4%B4)

## More words with 过 or 头

- [不过 bùguò](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/buguo)
- [超过 chāoguò](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chaoguo)
- [穿过 chuānguò](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chuanguo)
- [从头 cóngtóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/congtou)
- [错过 cuòguò](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cuoguo)
- [带头 dàitóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daitou)
- [点头 diǎntóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/diantou)
- [低头 dītóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ditou)
- [放过 fàngguò](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fangguo)
- [个头 gètóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/getou)

## Keep 过头 for Review

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