故
gù
#572 most
frequent character
"., . so"
conjunction
adverb
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
故 combines 古 gǔ, a sound part, with 攵, a meaning part suggesting movement or action. It first meant making something become as it is. From there came “therefore” or “hence”, and then an incident or happening. The sense “former” or “old” was borrowed by sound.
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Example Sentences
我很忙，故不能参加你的聚会。
wǒ hěn máng ， gù bùnéng cānjiā nǐde jùhuì 。
I am very busy, so I cannot attend your gathering.
天气不好，故我们决定不出门。
tiānqì bùhǎo ， gù wǒmen juédìng bù chūmén 。
The weather is bad, so we decided not to go out.
他没有完成作业，故老师把他叫去了。
tā méiyǒu wánchéng zuòyè ， gù lǎoshī bǎ tā jiào qùle 。
He didn't complete the homework, so the teacher called him in.
Words with similar meanings
Homophones
Words Starting With 故
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