挂

• Pinyin: guà
• Hanzi breakdown: 挂 = 扌(hand) + 卦 (divination trigram, phonetic) — to hang with the hand

Meaning

To hang; to put up; to hang up. To suspend something from above or to end a phone call.

A versatile verb with several uses: (1) to hang or suspend something — 挂画 (hang a painting), 挂衣服 (hang up clothes); (2) to hang up the phone — 挂电话; (3) to register at a hospital — 挂号. Also appears in 牵挂 (to worry about someone).

Examples

1. 请把这幅画挂在墙上。 Please hang this painting on the wall.
2. 她把洗好的衣服挂在阳台上。 She hung the washed clothes on the balcony.
3. 他说完就挂了电话。 He hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, home, phone

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 墙上挂着一张全家福。(A family photo is hanging on the wall.)
• 别着急挂电话，我还有话说。(Don't hang up yet — I still have something to say.)

Don't Say

• 我把书挂在桌子上。(Don't use 挂 for placing things on a flat surface — it means to suspend from above. Say 我把书放在桌子上.)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character: 扌 (hand radical) + 卦 (divination sign, phonetic). The hand radical suggests the action of hanging something up with one's hand.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal