告慰 (gào wèi) — to comfort, to console (formal, often in solemn or written contexts)

Definition

A formal, written verb: to comfort or console someone by reporting good news or fulfilling a wish — typically used to soothe the bereaved or honor a deceased person's spirit. Stronger and more solemn than everyday 安慰.

verb
to comfortto console (formal, often in solemn or written contexts)

Examples

  • 告慰。
    Tā de huà yǔ jí dà dì gào wèi le zài chǎng de měi yí gè rén.
    His words greatly comforted everyone present.
  • 告慰。
    Zhè fēng jiā shū gào wèi le yuǎn zài yì xiāng de fù mǔ.
    This family letter comforted the parents far away in a foreign land.
  • 告慰。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi yòng xíng dòng qù gào wèi shì zhě de jiā shǔ.
    We should use actions to console the family of the deceased.

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.

告gàotell
慰wèicomfort

The idea of 告, to tell, shapes the comfort of 慰.

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 →

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
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
尉
尉wèi慰⁰wèi
Same sound today

慰 puts 心 (heart) beside 尉 to show a feeling of comfort, while 尉 gives the sound.

Open 慰 →

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