该

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese character 该 (gāi) is composed of two parts: the radical 宀 (miàn), which represents a roof or a house, and the phonetic component 亥 (hài), which is a pictograph of a pig. The original meaning of 该 was "to cover" or "to shelter", which is related to the idea of a roof providing protection. Over time, the meaning of 该 expanded to include the ideas of "should", "ought to", and "must".The character 该 can be used in a variety of grammatical constructions. It can be used as a modal verb, to express obligation or necessity. For example, the sentence 他该走了 (tā gāi zǒu le) means "He should go now". 该 can also be used as an adjective, to describe something that is appropriate or correct. For example, the sentence 这是该做的事 (zhè shì gāi zuò de shì) means "This is the right thing to do".The character 该 is also used in a number of idioms and proverbs. For example, the idiom 该出手时就出手 (gāi chū shǒu shí jiù chū shǒu) means "When it's time to act, act decisively". The proverb 吃该吃，穿该穿 (chī gāi chī, chuān gāi chuān) means "Eat what you should eat, wear what you should wear".In summary, the Chinese character 该 has a rich history and a variety of meanings. It is an important character to learn for HSK learners, as it is used frequently in both spoken and written Chinese.