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告发 (gào fā) — to report (someone) to the authorities; to inform against; to denounce

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to denounce / report to the authorities' — stronger and more official than 举报 (jǔbào), which covers a broader range of complaints. 告发 typically implies accusing someone of a crime or wrongdoing.

verb
to report (someone) to the authoritiesto inform againstto denounce

Examples

  • 告发。
    Tā xiàng jǐng fāng gào fā le nà ge xiǎo tōu.
    He reported the thief to the police.
  • 告发，。
    Tā bèi rén gào fā shòu huì, zhèng zài jiē shòu diào chá.
    She was reported for taking bribes and is under investigation.
  • ，告发。
    Rú guǒ nǐ zhī dào zhēn xiàng, jiù yīng gāi qù gào fā.
    If you know the truth, you should go and report it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

告gàoaccuse
发fāexpose

告 means report or accuse and 发 means expose, so it means inform against.

Characters in this word

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

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.

Open 告 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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