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告吹 (gào chuī) — (of plans, relationships, negotiations, etc.) to fall through, to fizzle out

Definition

告吹 (gàochuī) is a colloquial verb meaning a plan, deal, or relationship quietly failed after seeming possible. It implies things fell apart on their own, not that someone actively cancelled them.

verb
(of plans, relationships, negotiations, etc.) to fall throughto fizzle out

Examples

  • 告吹。
    Wǒ men shàng ge yuè de lǚ yóu jì huà zuì hòu gào chuī le.
    Our travel plan from last month ultimately fell through.
  • 告吹。
    Zhè bǐ dà shēng yì yīn wèi jià gé tán bù lǒng ér gào chuī.
    This big business deal fizzled out because they couldn't agree on the price.
  • ，告吹。
    Tā men de liàn ài tán le liǎng nián, méi xiǎng dào hái shì gào chuī le.
    They had been dating for two years, but unexpectedly it fell through.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

告gàodeclare
吹chuīblown

告 means declare and 吹 means blown, so plans are declared blown.

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 →

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

吹 pairs 口 (mouth) with 欠 (blow), giving the picture of air being blown from the mouth.

Open 吹 →
Appears in
Change & Process

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