TongTong
Sign in

何故 (hé gù) — (literary, formal) why, for what reason

Definition

A formal, literary 'why / for what reason' — used in writing, classical-style prose, or set phrases like 何故如此. In modern spoken Chinese, 为什么 is the default.

adverb
(literary, formal) whyfor what reason

Examples

  • 何故？
    Nǐ hé gù rú cǐ cōng máng?
    Why are you in such a hurry?
  • 何故，。
    Tā hé gù bù cí ér bié, wú rén zhī xiǎo.
    Why he left without saying goodbye, no one knows.
  • 何故？
    hé gù Zuò chū zhè yàng de jué dìng?
    Why did you make such a decision?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

何héwhat
故gùreason

何 “what” specifies 故 “reason”, asking for the cause.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form of 何 drew a person carrying something on their shoulder. If the carried thing was a 戈, the 人 and 戈 parts together showed that picture.

Open 何 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ故gù
Same sound today

故 uses 古 for the sound and 攵, written in full as 攴, for the meaning.

Open 故 →
Appears in
Cause, Effect & Logic

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.