告别

• Pinyin: gào bié
• Hanzi breakdown: 告 = 牛 (ox) + 口 (mouth), meaning to tell or announce; 别 = 另 (other) + 刂 (knife), meaning to separate or part

Meaning

To say goodbye; to bid farewell; to part with. A formal way of taking leave.

More formal and emotionally weighted than 再见. Used for significant farewells — leaving a job, a city, or saying goodbye for an extended period. Can also be used figuratively, like 告别过去 (bid farewell to the past).

Examples

1. 毕业的时候，同学们互相告别。 At graduation, the classmates said goodbye to each other.
2. 他在机场和家人告别。 He said goodbye to his family at the airport.
3. 我们要告别旧的习惯，开始新的生活。 We should bid farewell to old habits and start a new life.

Usage Guide

Context: farewell, emotional, life events

Tone: emotional

Do Say

• 我们在车站告别了。(We said goodbye at the station.)
• 他告别了家乡，去了大城市。(He bid farewell to his hometown and went to the big city.)

Don't Say

• 我跟服务员告别了 (Don't use 告别 for casual partings with strangers like a waiter — use 再见 or just leave; 告别 implies emotional weight)

Origin & History

Compound of 告 (tell, inform) and 别 (part, separate), meaning to inform someone of one's departure.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal