报丧 (bào sāng) — to notify someone of a death (in the family); to report a bereavement

Definition

报丧 (bào sāng) is a specific verb: telling relatives and friends that someone in the family has died. Used only in the context of announcing a bereavement, not for general news.

verb
to notify someone of a death (in the family)to report a bereavement
Easily confused

Examples

  • 报丧。
    Tā zuó tiān qù qīn qi jiā bào sāng le.
    He went to his relatives' house yesterday to report the death.
  • 。
    Wǒ men yào gǎn jǐn gěi yuǎn fāng de qīn qi bào gè sàng.
    We need to hurry and notify the faraway relatives of the death.
  • 报丧，。
    Tā bào sāng zhī hòu, jiā lǐ jiù kāi shǐ zhǔn bèi zàng lǐ le.
    After he reported the death, the family began preparing for the funeral.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

报bàoreport
丧sàngdeath

报 means to report and 丧 refers to a death or mourning: to tell others of a bereavement.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 喪; 丧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
㗊㗊㗊many mouths
Sound part声符shēngfú
桑
桑sāng喪sàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 喪 originally paired 桑 (mulberry tree) with 㗊 (many mouths). The simplified 丧 is the modern form, deriving from a form that used 哭 (cry) and 亡 (die).

Open 丧 →

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