Chinese word

告辞

Pronunciation

Pinyingào cí

Meaning

  • verbtake leave

Example

我向老师告辞就回家了。wǒ xiàng lǎo shī gào cí jiù huí jiā le

After taking leave of my teacher, I went home.

Illustration for 告辞 (take leave)

More examples

宴会结束时，她向大家告辞并表示感谢。yàn huì jié shù shí tā xiàng dà jiā gào cí bìng biǎo shì gǎn xiè

When the banquet ended, she took leave of everyone and expressed her thanks.

Core concept

A courteous spoken announcement that marks the end of a visit before the speaker leaves.

Common phrases

  • 向大家告辞xiàng dà jiā gào cí

    take leave of everyone

Similar words

告别gào bié: Say goodbye through words or actions before going away.
离开lí kāi: Leave a place or person and go away.
告退gào tuì: Politely announce an intention to leave a formal gathering.
离席lí xí: Leave one's seat or place at a gathering.

Definition in Chinese

在正式或文雅的场合，用言语向对方表示告别并随后离开，语气带有礼辞意味。zài zhèng shì huò wén yǎ de chǎng hé yòng yán yǔ xiàng duì fāng biǎo shì gào bié bìng suí hòu lí kāi yǔ qì dài yǒu lǐ cí yì wèi

Word origin

告 (gào, "announce") + 辞 (cí, "parting words") presents departure as something formally announced.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this verb sounds formal and suits a respectful departure from a teacher, host, or other senior person more than a quick goodbye among friends.

Other meanings

  • say goodbyeverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word