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告诉 (gào su) — to tell; to inform

Definition

Everyday 'to tell / to inform' someone, in person or by message. More casual than 通知 (a notice) and 告知 (formal, written). Unlike 投诉 or 告, it is not used for filing complaints or lawsuits.

verb
to tellto inform

Examples

  • 告诉。
    Qǐng gào su wǒ nǐ de diàn huà.
    Please tell me your phone number.
  • 告诉。
    Tā gào su le wǒ yí jiàn shì.
    He told me something.
  • 告诉。
    Bú yào gào su tā.
    Don't tell him.

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gàotell
诉sùtell

告 and 诉 both express telling or accusing; together they mean to inform.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 訴; 诉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword, speak
Sound part声符shēngfú
斥
斥chì訴sù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 訴 pairs 言 (word, speak) with 斥, which gives the sound and points to accusing by speech. The simplified 诉 is a later shorthand.

Open 诉 →

Grammar

Appears in
100 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 3.0 Level 2500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsCommunication & Speech

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