告 (gào) — to sue, to file a lawsuit against; to inform, to tell, to report (often formally)
Definition
告 is mostly literary/formal — the spoken equivalent of 'tell/inform' is 告诉, and the modern legal word for 'to sue' is 起诉. Prefer 告 in set phrases (告别, 告状, 告发) and formal writing.
verb
to sueto file a lawsuit againstto informto tellto report (often formally)
Easily confused
Examples
- 告。Gōng sī gào tā qiàn qián.The company sued him for owing money.
- 。Tā gào sù wǒ yí gè hǎo xiāo xi.He told me a piece of good news.
- 。Tā xiàng shàng jí gào fā le gōng sī de mì mì.He reported the company's secret to his superior.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 壴壴zhù
- 口口kǒu
The origin is unclear: one theory sees 告 as 壴 (a decorated drum) above 口 (an open mouth), while another sees a tongue sticking out of 口.
Appears in
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