故去 (gù qù) — to pass away (formal, respectful)

Definition

Formal, respectful written term for 'to pass away,' used mainly in obituaries, eulogies, and literary writing about the deceased.

verb

to pass away (formal, respectful)

故去。
Tā de zǔ fù qù nián gù qù le.
His grandfather passed away last year.
故去，。
Zhè wèi lǎo jiào shòu gù qù hòu, xǔ duō xué shēng qián lái dào niàn.
After the old professor passed away, many students came to mourn.
故去，。
gù qù Zhī rén yǐ ān xī, shēng zhě dāng zhēn xī dāng xià.
The departed have found peace; the living should cherish the present.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

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

去qùgo away

故 can mean die and 去 can mean go away; together they euphemistically mean pass away.

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.

古攵故

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攵Written in full as攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

Same sound today

故 uses 古 for the sound and 攵, written in full as 攴, for the meaning.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

去 pairs 大, a man, with 口, a mouth or object. The evidence reads this as a man leaving a place, a man opening his mouth, or a cover over an object.