忠告 (zhōng gào) is a formal, sincere word for 'advice' or 'to advise' — it implies well-meaning counsel, often about a serious matter. It is stronger and more earnest than 劝 (quàn 'to urge') or 劝说 (quàn shuō 'to persuade'), which focus on convincing someone to act. As a noun, it refers to the advice itself (e.g., 'a piece of advice'), unlike 辅导 (fǔ dǎo 'tutoring') or 处方 (chǔ fāng 'prescription'), which are not general advice.