故
gù
happening
instance; reason; cause; intentional; former; old; friend; therefore; hence; (of people) to die, dead
old (古) + strike (攵) = something done on purpose, or what happened before
攵 is a hand holding a stick, suggesting a deliberate strike or cause set in motion. 古 gives the sound gù; the stick radical steers the meaning toward purposeful action, old events, and their consequences.
Words with 故
钻故纸堆
zuān gù zhǐ duī
to dig into piles of outdated writings (idiom); to study old books and papers
革故鼎新
gé gù dǐng xīn
to discard the old and introduce the new (idiom); to innovate
雅故
yǎ gù
old friend
鬼故事
guǐ gù shi
ghost story
一改故辙
yī gǎi gù zhé
complete change from the old rut (idiom); dramatic change of direction
一见如故
yī jiàn rú gù
familiarity at first sight
三亲六故
sān qīn liù gù
old friends and relatives
不主故常
bù zhǔ gù cháng
not to stick to the old conventions
不知何故
bù zhī hé gù
somehow
不谙世故
bù ān shì gù
unworldly
世故
shì gù
the ways of the world
世故
shì gu
sophisticated