忘掉 (wàng diào) — to forget (completely), to let go of | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

忘掉 is a separable verb meaning 'to forget completely / to let go of', stronger than the plain 忘记 — it implies erasing the memory or putting it behind you. Insert other elements between 忘 and 掉 (e.g. 忘了他说的话).

verb

to forget (completely)to let go of

Examples

忘掉。
Tā xiǎng yào wàng diào guò qù de bù kāi xīn.
He wants to forget the unhappiness of the past.
忘掉，。
Nǐ zuì hǎo wàng diào zhè xiē fán nǎo, chóng xīn kāi shǐ.
You'd better forget these worries and start over.
忘掉。
Tā yǐ jīng wàng diào le nà ge míng zì.
She has already forgotten that name.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

掉diàofall off

忘 gives forget and 掉 adds loss, making the forgetting complete.

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.

亡心忘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

亡

亡wáng忘wàng

Same sound today

忘 combines 亡, which gives the sound, with 心 (“heart”), showing the sense is about the heart or mind.

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

扌卓掉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

卓

卓zhuó掉diào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

掉 is built from 扌 (a hand) and 卓, which gives the pronunciation.

Appears in

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