故 (gù) — therefore, hence, so
Definition
故 (gù) is a formal, literary conjunction meaning 'therefore' — more written than 因此, and more compact than 为此. Unlike 于是 it reads as causal logic rather than narrative sequence.
thereforehenceso
Easily confused
- 放fànglook-aliketo put, to place
- 雇gùsound-aliketo hire, to employ
- 枚méilook-alike(classifier) for small, flat, or round objects (coins, rings, badges, medals, pearls, etc.)
- 顾gùsound-aliketo take into consideration, to attend to (often used with 不 or 只)
- 败bàilook-aliketo lose, to be defeated
- 做zuòlook-aliketo do; to engage in (an activity)
Examples
- ，故。Tiān qì bù hǎo, gù bǐ sài qǔ xiāo le.The weather was bad, so the match was cancelled.
- ，故。Tā nǔ lì xué xí, gù qǔ dé le hǎo chéng jì.He studied hard, therefore achieved good results.
- ，故。Yóu yú zī jīn bù zú, gù xiàng mù zàn tíng.Due to insufficient funds, the project is suspended.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
攵Written in full as攴pū
故 uses 古 for the sound and 攵, written in full as 攴, for the meaning.
Appears in
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