gào

(bound form) to say; to tell

to announce; to report; to denounce; to file a lawsuit; to sue

cow (牛) + mouth (口) = formally announce or report

In ancient times, bringing a cow (牛) before an official and speaking (口) was how one formally lodged a complaint or made a declaration. The act of presenting something significant and giving testimony became the core of announcing or reporting.

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MouthSemantic
CowSemantic

诉我今天不用上班。

tā gào su wǒ jīn tiān bù yòng shàng bān。

She told me there is no need to go to work today.

他决定去法院那家公司。

tā jué dìng qù fǎ yuàn gào nà jiā gōng sī。

He decided to go to court and sue that company.

Words with 告

告示牌

gào shì pái

notice

告竣

gào jùn

(of a project) to be completed

告终

gào zhōng

to end

告罄

gào qìng

to run out

告解

gào jiě

(Catholicism) to confess; confession

通告

tōng gào

to announce; to give notice

遗体告别式

yí tǐ gào bié shì

funeral

电告

diàn gào

to inform by telegraph, telephone etc

预告

yù gào

to forecast

预告片

yù gào piàn

trailer (for a movie)

首战告捷

shǒu zhàn gào jié

to win the first battle

点击付费广告

diǎn jī fù fèi guǎng gào

pay-per-click advertising

More characters with 牛