Dictionary › 挂

挂

guà

Old HSK 4 HSK 3.0 character level 4 Character Traditional 掛

挂 (guà) means "to hang up". It is an HSK 3.0 level 4 word, and was HSK 4 in the old six-level list.

What 挂 means

1. to hang; to suspend (from a hook etc)
2. to hang up (the phone)
3. (of a line) to be dead
4. to be worried; to be concerned
5. dialectto make a phone call
6. to register (at a hospital); to make an appointment (with a doctor)
7. slangto kill; to die; to be finished; to fail (an exam)
8. classifier for sets or clusters of objects

Example sentences

• 寄挂号吗？
  By registered letter?
• 我很挂念你。
  Wǒ hěn guàniàn nǐ.
  I miss you very much.
• 我不想挂科。
  Wǒ bù xiǎng guàkē.
  I don't want to fail my exams.
• 我要挂科了！
  Wǒ yào guàkē le!
  I'm going to fail the class!
• 画挂在墙上。
  The picture is hanging on the wall.
• 她把画挂反了。
  She hung the picture upside down.

Words starting with 挂

• 挂号guà hàoto register (at a hospital etc); to send by registered mail
• 挂断guà duànto hang up (a phone)
• 挂钩guà gōuto couple; to link; to hook together; (fig.)…
• 挂牌guà páilit. to hang up a plate; to open up for business; listed (on stock market)
• 挂念guà niànto feel anxious about; to have (sth) weighing on one's mind
• 挂历guà lìwall calendar
• 挂钟guà zhōngwall clock
• 挂起guà qǐto hang up (a picture etc); to hoist up (a flag); (computing) to suspend (a process)
• 挂帅guà shuàito take command; to be in command; (fig.) to take precedence; to be paramount…
• 挂失guà shīto report the loss of something
• 挂靠guà kàoto be affiliated with; to operate under the wing of; affiliation
• 挂号信guà hào xìnregistered letter
• 挂面guà miànpasta; noodles
• 挂图guà túwall chart
• 挂名guà míngto attach sb's name to (a role); to go by the title of; nominal; in name only
• 挂住guà zhùto get caught (entangled); to catch (on sth)
• 挂好guà hǎoto hang up properly (telephone, picture, clothes etc)
• 挂彩guà cǎito decorate for festive occasions; to be wounded in action
• 挂心guà xīnto worry; to be on one's mind
• 挂虑guà lǜto worry about
• 挂怀guà huáiconcerned; troubled; having sth on one's mind
• 挂果guà guǒ(of a tree) to bear fruit
• 挂机guà jīto hang up (a phone); to leave a computer etc running…
• 挂水guà shuǐto put sb on an intravenous drip

Words containing 挂

• 悬挂xuán guàto suspend; to hang; (vehicle) suspension
• 牵挂qiān guàto worry about; to be concerned about
• 外挂wài guàattached externally (e.g. fuel tank); plug-in; add-on…
• 一丝不挂yī sī bù guànot wearing one thread (idiom); absolutely naked; without a stitch of clothing…
• 倒挂dào guàlit. to hang upside down; fig. topsy-turvy and inequitable, e.g. manufacturing and…
• 记挂jì guà(dialect) to keep thinking about (sth); to have (sth) on one's mind
• 披挂pī guàto put on a suit of armor; to put on dress; to wear
• 牵肠挂肚qiān cháng guà dùdeeply worried (idiom); to feel anxious
• 喝挂hē guà(colloquial) to get drunk; to get hammered
• 壁挂bì guàwall hanging
• 张挂zhāng guàto hang up (a picture, banner, mosquito net etc)
• 拖挂tuō guàto pull; to tow
• 树挂shù guàice (rime) formed on a tree
• 开挂kāi guàto cheat in an online game (abbr. for 开外挂; (colloquial) unbelievably good
• 拖挂车tuō guà chē18-wheeler; big rig; semi-trailer
• 外挂程式wài guà chéng shìplug-in (software) (Tw)
• 活动挂图huó dòng guà túflipchart
• 牛角挂书niú jiǎo guà shūlit. to hang one's books on cow horns (idiom); fig. to be diligent in one's studies
• 不足挂齿bù zú guà chǐnot worth mentioning (idiom)
• 无牵无挂wú qiān wú guà(idiom) unburdened by obligations or attachments; carefree
• 垂挂chuí guàto hang down; suspended
• 自动挂挡zì dòng guà dǎngautomatic gear change
• 吊挂diào guàto suspend; to hang
• 牵心挂肠qiān xīn guà chángto worry deeply about sth; extremely concerned

Characters built on 圭

These share the phonetic component 圭 (guī), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 卦guàdivinatory diagram; one of the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes 易经…
• 诖guàto deceive; to disturb

Characters that look like 挂

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 核hépit; stone; nucleus
• 按ànto press; to push; to leave aside or shelve
• 彼bǐthat; those; (one) another
• 拔báto pull up; to pull out; to draw out by suction
• 桂guìcassia; laurel
• 拴shuānto tie up

Sounds the same

Read guà, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 卦divinatory diagram; one of the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes 易经…
• 褂(bound form) Chinese-style unlined garment; gown
• 诖to deceive; to disturb
• 絓to hinder; to offend; to form
• 罫squares of a chess board
• 罣variant of 挂
• 袿old variant of 褂

Where 挂 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Movement & physical actions (HSK 4), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 4 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read guà correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.