辜 (gū): guilt; crime

Meanings

1 guilt; crime
2 to let down; to betray (in 辜负)

Characters

辜

gū

guilt; crime

Examples

HSK 6

不要辜负父母的期望。

Búyào gūfù fùmǔ de qīwàng.

Don't let your parents' expectations down.

HSK 7-9

我们不能惩罚无辜的人。

Wǒmen bùnéng chéngfá wúgū de rén.

We must not punish the innocent.

Tips

usage

Two common words carry 辜: 无辜 (innocent, literally 'without guilt') and 辜负 (to fail to live up to someone's trust or kindness). It is also a surname.

Components

radical

辛 xīn

bitter; a tool of punishment

辛 originally pictured a tool used to brand or punish criminals, so it carries the 'crime / guilt' meaning at the heart of 辜.

phonetic

古 gǔ

old; ancient

古 on top supplies the sound gū and carries no meaning here, acting as the phonetic element.

Stroke Order

辜 gū

Related Words

辜负 gūfù HSK 7-9 #9,208

to let down / to fail to live up to / to disappoint

无辜 wúgū HSK 7-9 #1,623

innocent; guiltless / not guilty of any wrongdoing

死有余辜 sǐyǒu-yúgū #30,844

death would still leave the crime unpunished / so evil that even execution is too lenient

倒下 dǎoxià HSK 7-9 #4,263

to fall down / to collapse / to be struck down

打倒 dǎdǎo HSK 7-9 #5,212

to overthrow / to knock down / down with

放下 fàngxià HSK 2 #963

to put down / to let go of

犯罪 fànzuì HSK 6 #895

to commit a crime / crime; criminal offense

放过 fàngguò HSK 7-9 #7,286

to let go / to let off / to spare

负罪感 fùzuìgǎn #8,702

sense of guilt; guilt / feeling of culpability

摆烂 bǎilàn

to give up and let things go bad / to let it rot / to stop trying