Definitions
(verb)
to tell; to inform; to announce
(verb)
to report; to file a complaint
Etymology
Pictograph of a tongue extending from an open mouth. Visually similar to 舌 (tongue).
About
The character "告" has an origin that suggests a ritual or formal declaration, composed of the components 牛, representing an ox, and 口, a mouth, which together convey the idea of reporting or announcing with the solemnity of an ox sacrifice. Initially, its use was confined to weighty contexts such as reporting to ancestors or the heavens, and in legal proceedings where one would bring a charge or make an accusation. Over time, the specificity of this meaning broadened considerably, shedding its primarily ritual and judicial connotations to become a general verb for the act of telling, informing, or notifying someone of something, while still retaining its more severe sense in compounds related to lawsuits.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
妈妈告诉我答案。
我们要告别朋友。
电视上有广告。
他被告知了消息。
公司发布了新广告。
政府警告市民小心。
他控告对方违约。
这本书告一段落了。