辜 gū crime
crime; offense; sin
How to remember 辜: 古 old + 辛 spicy = crime. The old chef puts so much spicy pepper in the soup that the guests call it a crime against their tongues.
Component breakdown
辜 = 古 old + 辛 spicy
- 古 old
- 辛 spicy
The old chef puts so much spicy pepper in the soup that the guests call it a crime against their tongues.
How it is used
- Two very different uses. In 无辜 (wúgū) it means 'guilt/crime' - 无辜的人 (wúgū de rén) an innocent person.
- In 辜负 (gūfù) it means to let down / fail to live up to someone's kindness or trust: 不辜负大家的期望 (bù gūfù dàjiā de qīwàng) not to disappoint everyone's hopes. This 辜负 collocation is very common and worth memorizing whole.