() — cough up; spit

Definition

咯 (gē) is a bound verb used only after 把 or before 出 to mean 'cough up' or 'spit out' (blood, phlegm). It never stands alone — pair it with a substance like 血 or 痰.

bound form
cough upspit

Examples

  • Tā ké sou dé lì hài, tū rán gē xiě le.
    He coughed badly and suddenly coughed up blood.
  • Yī shēng ràng tā gē tán jiǎn chá.
    The doctor asked him to spit out phlegm for examination.
  • Tā gē chū le dài xuè de tán.
    He coughed up phlegm with blood.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

咯 combines 口 (mouth) with 各, which gives the sound; the mouth part shows it is about a mouth action.

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