晓 is a bound form (b.f.) — it does not appear alone in modern Chinese but is used as a morpheme in compounds. Its two main senses are 'dawn, daybreak' (as in 破晓 'daybreak' or 拂晓 'dawn') and 'to know, to understand' (as in 晓得 'to know' or 知晓 'to be aware of'). In literary or formal contexts, it can also mean 'to tell, to inform' (e.g. 晓谕 'to notify'). It is a formal/literary element.