该 (gāi) — should; ought to
Definition
该 (gāi) is a more formal written equivalent of 应该 'should / ought to', used especially for strong likelihood ('he should be home by now'). Negate with 不该, not 不用.
pronoun
shouldought to
Easily confused
Examples
- 该。Nǐ gāi xiān wán chéng zuò yè zài kàn diàn shì.You should finish your homework first before watching TV.
- ，该。Zhè me wǎn le, tā gāi yǐ jīng dào jiā le.It's so late; he should already be home.
- 该。Wǒ men gāi hù xiāng zūn zhòng.We should respect each other.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 該; 该 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 該 pairs 言 (speech) with 亥 as a sound part; the simplified 该 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.
Appears in
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