Learn a Chinese Character - 故

1. Character Basics

Radical: 攵/wén (攴/pū, tap, hit), 古/gǔ (ancient)

Stroke Count: 9

Stroke Order:

2. Pronunciation

Pinyin: Gù (Fourth tone)

3. Meaning

Basic Meaning: Old; ancient; past; former; reason; cause; therefore; hence

Extended Meaning: Friend; acquaintance; incident; event; death (polite term)

4. Common Words

• 故事 (gù shì) - Story; tale

  我喜欢听爷爷讲故事。(Wǒ xǐhuan tīng yéye jiǎng gùshi.) - I like listening to grandpa tell stories.

• 故乡 (gù xiāng) - Hometown; native place

  他非常想念故乡。(Tā fēicháng xiǎngniàn gùxiāng.) - He misses his hometown very much.

• 故意 (gù yì) - On purpose; intentionally

  他故意弄坏了我的笔。(Tā gùyì nònghuài le wǒ de bǐ.) - He intentionally broke my pen.

• 原因 (yuán yīn) - Reason; cause (note: 故单独使用时也有原因的意思)

  你知道这件事的原因吗？(Nǐ zhīdào zhè jiàn shì de yuányīn ma?) - Do you know the reason for this matter?

• 故友 (gù yǒu) - Old friend

  他是我的故友。(Tā shì wǒ de gùyǒu.) - He is my old friend.

5. Grammar & Usage

As a Noun:

• 指过去的事物 (refers to past things): 故去 (passed away), 故交 (old acquaintance)
• 指原因、缘故 (refers to reason, cause): 无故 (without reason), 何故 (why)

As an Adjective:

• 表示旧的、过去的 (indicating old, past): 故址 (old site), 故居 (former residence)

As an Adverb:

• 表示故意、有意 (indicating deliberately, intentionally): 故问 (ask deliberately), 故弄玄虚 (deliberately create mystery)

Common Structures:

• 因为...所以... (because...therefore...): 因为下雨，所以我们取消了计划。(Yīnwèi xiàyǔ, suǒyǐ wǒmen qǔxiāo le jìhuà.) - Because it's raining, we canceled our plan.
• 故意+动词 (intentionally+verb): 故意迟到 (intentionally be late)
• 故+名词 (old+ noun): 故土 (native land), 故园 (hometown)

6. Cultural Background

在中国文化中，"故"字蕴含着深厚的情感和历史内涵。它不仅表示时间上的过去，还承载着对故乡、故人的思念之情。

In Chinese culture, the character "故" contains profound emotions and historical connotations. It not only indicates the past in time but also carries the sentiment of longing for one's hometown and old friends.

在古代文学中，"故"常被用来表达对往事的回忆和对故乡的思念。例如，唐代诗人李白的《静夜思》中就有"举头望明月，低头思故乡"的名句，表达了对家乡的深切思念。

In ancient literature, "故" is often used to express memories of the past and longing for one's hometown. For example, the famous line "Raise my head to look at the bright moon, lower my head to think of my hometown" from Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thought" in the Tang Dynasty expresses deep longing for one's hometown.

此外，"故"还有礼貌地表示死亡的用法，如"故去"、"已故"等，体现了中国文化中对生命的尊重。

Furthermore, "故" also has a polite usage to indicate death, such as "passed away" and "deceased", reflecting the respect for life in Chinese culture.

7. Example Sentence

8. Memory Tips

1. Component Analysis: 故由"古"(gǔ, ancient)和"攵"(pū, tap, hit)组成，可以理解为与古代、过去有关的动作或事物。

2. Sound Association: 与"顾"(gù)同音，可以联想到"回顾"(look back)过去的事情。

3. Visual Image: 想象一个人在回忆过去的事情，或者回到故乡的情景。

4. Sentence Memory: 使用常用词组"故事"造句子：我喜欢读童话故事。(Wǒ xǐhuan dú tónghuà gùshi.) - I like reading fairy tales.