How to Write 诰 (gào) — Meaning “imperial edict”

Imagine a king standing on a stage (the left side 讠 representing speech) giving a loud announcement (告, which sounds like "go" and means to tell). You can think of the king saying "Go! Tell everyone my imperial edict!" This links the speech radical with the sound and idea of declaring a decree.

The left radical 讠 must be written with two strokes: first a dot, then a horizontal-turning stroke. The right part 告 has a horizontal stroke on top, then a vertical stroke through the middle, careful not to cross the top line. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the small horizontal line inside the 口 at the bottom.

诰 (gào) means an imperial edict or decree, while 证 (zhèng) means to prove or evidence, and 诂 (gǔ) means to explain ancient words. Visually, 诰 uses 告 (tell) on the right, 证 uses 正 (correct/upright), and 诂 uses 古 (ancient). The meanings are distinct: 诰 is about official announcements, 证 is about verification, and 诂 is about explaining old texts.

诰 is very rare in everyday conversation and appears mostly in historical or literary contexts, such as in terms like 诰命 (imperial mandate) or 封诰 (title conferred by imperial decree). You might encounter it when reading about ancient Chinese history, royal ceremonies, or traditional dramas. It is not part of common vocabulary and is considered a formal, classical character.

Common words containing 诰 include: 诰命 (gào mìng) — imperial mandate; 封诰 (fēng gào) — Imperial title or decree of conferment; 诰封 (gào fēng) — title conferred by imperial edict.