故

gù

HSK 7

故 — gù

1. cause; reason

   事故的故因还在调查中。 shìgù de gù yīn hái zài diàochá zhōng — The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

2. intentional; deliberate

   他是故意迟到的，不是偶然。 tā shì gùyì chídào de búshì ǒurán — He was late on purpose, not by accident.

3. former; previous; old

   故乡是我一直想回去的地方。 gùxiāng shì wǒ yìzhí xiǎng huíqù de dìfāng — My native place is somewhere I always want to return to.

4. old friend (literary)

   久别重逢，感叹故人依旧。 jiǔbiéchóngféng gǎntàn gùrén yījiù — After a long separation they met again, remarking that an old friend was unchanged.

5. therefore; hence

   事已至此，故无可挽回。 shìyǐzhìcǐ gù wúkěwǎnhuí — Things have come to this, therefore there is no turning back.

6. (literary) to die; dead

   昔日王者已故，国家陷入动荡。 xīrì wángzhě yǐgù guójiā xiànrù dòngdàng — The former king has died, and the country fell into turmoil.

7. happening; incident; instance

   这类故例在历史记载中屡见不鲜。 zhèlèi gù lì zài lìshǐ jìzǎi zhōng lǚjiànbùxiān — Such instances are often seen in historical records.