verb / noun HSK 5
Traditional 勸告
quàn gào
to advise · to urge · to counsel · advice · exhortation

Meaning

劝告 means to give someone advice or counsel, often with a sense of urging them to do or not do something for their own good. It carries a slightly formal or earnest tone, suggesting the speaker genuinely wants to help or warn the listener. As a noun, it refers to the advice or counsel itself.

Usage

劝告 is more formal than casual 劝 and implies sincere, sometimes serious advice. It's commonly used when warning someone about potential consequences or urging behavioral change. Often appears in written contexts, official statements, or when parents/elders give guidance. Can take objects like 劝告某人做某事 (advise someone to do something).

Examples

  1. 01
    医生劝告他戒烟,否则会影响健康。
    Yīshēng quàn gào jiè yān, fǒu huì yǐng xiǎng jiàn kāng.
    The doctor advised him to quit smoking, otherwise it would affect his health.
  2. 02
    尽管父母多次劝告,他还是不愿意改变。
    Jǐn guǎn duō quàn gào, hái shì yuàn gǎi biàn.
    Despite his parents' repeated advice, he still refused to change.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一次劝告
  • fān一番劝告

Common collocations

  • 劝告某人
    quàn gào mǒu rén
    to advise someone
  • 听从劝告
    tīng cóng quàn gào
    to heed advice
  • 接受劝告
    jiē shòu quàn gào
    to accept advice
  • 不听劝告
    tīng quàn gào
    to not listen to advice

Origin

The word combines 劝 (to urge/persuade) with 告 (to tell/inform), literally meaning 'to urge and inform.' Both characters have ancient origins, with 劝 originally depicting encouragement and 告 representing formal announcement.

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