故 gù — old; reason · English

故

gù

old; reason

At a glance · 故

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从攴，古声，本义为原故、旧。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为原因、旧事，引申为旧的、所以。

Structure

形声字，从攴（意符，治事），古（gǔ）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyingù

Radical攵

Strokes9

UnicodeU+6545

Character type形声

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English old; reason Old or past; also reason or therefore.

Français ancien; raison Ancien ; aussi raison ou donc.

Español viejo; razón Viejo ; también razón o por eso.

العربية قديم؛ سبب قديم؛ ويُستعار للسبب أو «إذن».

Русский старый; причина Старый; также причина или поэтому.

Common words

故事gù shìstory
故乡gù xiānghometown

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