广告

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word for "advertisement" is 广告 (guǎnggào). It is a compound word consisting of two characters: 广 (guǎng), meaning "wide" or "extensive," and 告 (gào), meaning "to inform" or "to announce." Together, these characters convey the idea of "widely informing" or "making an announcement to a large audience."The character 广 (guǎng) has a long history in Chinese, dating back to the oracle bone script of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE). In its original form, it depicted a house with a large roof, symbolizing a place where people could gather and exchange information. Over time, the character evolved to take on the meaning of "wide" or "extensive."The character 告 (gào) also has a long history, dating back to the oracle bone script. In its original form, it depicted a person standing on a platform, speaking to a group of people. Over time, the character evolved to take on the meaning of "to inform" or "to announce."The combination of these two characters, 广 (guǎng) and 告 (gào), creates the word 广告 (guǎnggào), which means "advertisement." This word is used in a variety of contexts to refer to any form of paid communication that is intended to promote a product, service, or idea.