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宣告 (xuān gào) — to declare, to proclaim

Definition

Used for solemn, often one-way public declarations of a major change or decision (war ended, bankruptcy, state of emergency). Stronger and more final than 宣布; 陈述 is neutral 'to state', not a proclamation.

verb
to declareto proclaim

Examples

  • 宣告。
    Zǒng tǒng xuān gào zhàn zhēng jié shù.
    The president declared the end of the war.
  • 宣告。
    Zhèng fǔ xuān gào jǐn jí zhuàng tài.
    The government declared a state of emergency.
  • 宣告。
    Dǒng shì huì xuān gào gōng sī pò chǎn.
    The board of directors declared the company bankrupt.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

宣xuāndeclare
告gàoannounce

宣 (declare) and 告 (announce) are near synonyms, so together they mean to proclaim.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
亘
亘gèn宣xuān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

宣 pairs the roof 宀, pointing to the emperor's main hall, with 亘 as the sound part. From that hall meaning, it came to mean clear or evident.

Open 宣 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.