够格 (gòu gē) — qualified, up to standard, presentable | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

够格 is a verb meaning 'to be qualified / up to standard' — often used in the negative (不够格) to say someone falls short of what's required. Unlike 合格 (meeting a fixed standard), 够格 emphasizes a personal measure of ability or right to do something.

verb

qualifiedup to standardpresentable

Examples

。
Tā bú gòu gē dāng zhè ge jīng lǐ.
He is not qualified to be this manager.
够格？
Nǐ jué de tā gòu gē zuò yǎn yuán ma?
Do you think she is qualified to be an actress?
。
Tā gēn běn bú gòu dāng lǎo shī de gé.
He is simply not qualified to be a teacher.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

格géstandard

“够” means to reach and “格” means standard, so the word means to reach the required standard.

Characters in this word

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 夠; 够 is its simplified writing.

多句夠

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

句

句jù夠gòu

Same sound today

In the traditional form 夠, 多 is the part tied to the meaning and 句 is the part that gives the sound; the simplified 够 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木各格

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè格gé

Same sound today

格 is built from 木 (wood) on the left and 各 on the right, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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