Dictionary › 故

故

gù

HSK 3 Character

What 故 means

1. happening
2. instance
3. reason
4. cause
5. intentional
6. former
7. old
8. friend
9. therefore
10. hence
11. (of people) to die, dead

Example sentences

• 故障！
  Abort!
• 事故发生。
  Accidents happen.
• 故事很有趣。
  The story was amusing.
• 空调故障了。
  The air conditioner doesn't work.
• 我思故我在。
  I think, therefore I am.
• 汤姆无故地笑。
  Tāngmǔ wúgù de xiào.
  Tom laughed for no reason.

Words starting with 故

• 故事gù shìold practice
• 故意gù yìdeliberately; on purpose
• 故乡gù xiānghome; homeland; native place
• 故障gù zhàngmalfunction; breakdown; defect
• 故居gù jūformer residence
• 故作gù zuòto pretend; to feign
• 故人gù rénold friend; the deceased
• 故此gù cǐtherefore
• 故而gù értherefore
• 故宫gù gōngformer imperial palace
• 故事片gù shi piànfictional film; feature film
• 故土gù tǔnative country; one's homeland
• 故里gù lǐhome town; native place
• 故宫博物院Gù gōng Bó wù yuànPalace Museum, in the Forbidden City, Beijing; National Palace Museum, Taipei
• 故园gù yuánone's hometown
• 故国gù guócountry with an ancient history
• 故我gù wǒone's old self; one's original self; what one has always been
• 故弄玄虚gù nòng xuán xūdeliberately mystifying; to make sth unnecessarily complicated
• 故去gù qù(euphemism) to pass away; to die
• 故城gù chéngold city
• 故地gù dìonce familiar places; former haunts
• 故世gù shìto die; to pass away
• 故交gù jiāoformer acquaintance; old friend
• 故典gù diǎnold classics; old customs; cause

Words containing 故

• 缘故yuán gùreason; cause
• 事故shì gùaccident
• 变故biàn gùan unforeseen event; accident; misfortune
• 典故diǎn gùclassical story or quote from the literature; the story behind sth
• 无故wú gùwithout cause or reason
• 无缘无故wú yuán wú gù(idiom) no cause or reason; completely uncalled for
• 已故yǐ gùthe late; deceased
• 世故shì gusophisticated; worldly-wise
• 因故yīn gùfor some reason
• 如故rú gùas before; as usual; (to be) like old friends
• 病故bìng gùto die of an illness
• 何故hé gùwhat for?; what's the reason?
• 借故jiè gùto find an excuse
• 民间故事mín jiān gù shifolk story; folktale
• 不知何故bù zhī hé gùsomehow
• 掌故zhǎng gùanecdote; tales (esp. about a historical figure)
• 一见如故yī jiàn rú gùfamiliarity at first sight
• 明知故问míng zhī gù wèn(idiom) to ask a question, already knowing the answer
• 人情世故rén qíng shì gùworldly wisdom; the ways of the world; to know how to get on in the world
• 平白无故píng bái wú gù(idiom) for no reason whatever; inexplicably
• 推故tuī gùto find a pretext for refusing
• 是故shì gùtherefore; so; consequently
• 身故shēn gùto die
• 不主故常bù zhǔ gù chángnot to stick to the old conventions

Characters built on 古

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

• 估gūto estimate
• 居jūto reside; to be (in a certain position); to store up
• 固gùhard; strong; solid
• 苦kǔbitter; hardship; pain
• 胡húnon-Han people, esp. from central Asia; reckless; outrageous
• 姑gūpaternal aunt; husband's sister; husband's mother (old)
• 辜gūcrime; sin
• 枯kū(of plants) withered; (of wells, rivers etc) dried up; (bound form) dull; boring

Characters that look like 故

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

• 政zhèngpolitical; politics; government
• 被bèiquilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune)
• 致zhì(bound form) fine; delicate; exquisite
• 栽zāito plant; to grow; to insert; to erect (e.g. a bus stop sign); to impose sth on sb
• 绞jiǎoto twist (strands into a thread); to entangle; to wring
• 敖Áosurname Ao

Sounds the same

Read gù, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 顾to look after; to take into consideration; to attend to
• 固hard; strong; solid
• 雇to employ; to hire; to rent
• 估used in 估衣
• 锢obstinate disease; to restrain; to stop
• 梏braces (med.); fetters; manacles
• 痼obstinate disease; (of passion, hobbies) long-term
• 崮steep-sided flat-topped mountain; mesa; (element in mountain names)
• 凅dried up; dry; exhausted
• 堌place name
• 牿shed or pen for cattle
• 鲴Xenocypris, genus of cyprinid fish found in eastern Asia