gào su
to tell
我告诉他我叫什么名字。
wǒ gàosu tā wǒ jiào shénme míngzi.
I told him my name.
老师告诉我们明天要考试。
lǎoshī gàosu wǒmen míngtiān yào kǎoshì.
The teacher told us that there will be a test tomorrow.
你告诉他了吗？
nǐ gàosu tā le ma?
Did you tell him?
告知 (gào zhī)
inform
通知 (tōng zhī)
notify
报告 (bào gào)
report
隐瞒 (yǐnmán)
conceal
保密 (bǎomì)
keep secret
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The Chinese word 告诉 (gàosù) is composed of two characters: 告 (gào) and 诉 (sù). The character 告 originally meant "to announce" or "to inform", and was often used in formal or official contexts. The character 诉, on the other hand, originally meant "to complain" or "to express one's grievances", and was often used in a more personal or informal context. Over time, the two characters came to be used together to form the word 告诉, which took on the meaning of "to tell" or "to inform someone about something". The word 告诉 is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese, and can be used in a variety of contexts, from informal conversations to formal announcements.
