告知

• Pinyin: gào zhī
• Hanzi breakdown: 告 = 牛 + 口 (announce, inform); 知 = 矢 + 口 (arrow + mouth — to know, to inform)

Meaning

To inform; to notify; to make known formally; to communicate a piece of information to a party who needs to be aware of it.

More formal and deliberate than 告诉. Commonly used in legal, medical, administrative, and professional communications: 知情同意告知书 (informed consent notice); 告知义务 (duty to inform). Implies that the sender has a responsibility to ensure the recipient is properly informed.

Examples

1. 医院在手术前须向患者及其家属详细告知手术风险、麻醉方式及可能出现的并发症。 Before surgery, the hospital must fully inform the patient and their family of the surgical risks, the anesthesia method, and potential complications.
2. 合同一方如需变更联系方式，应在七个工作日内以书面形式向另一方告知，以确保通讯畅通。 If either party needs to change their contact information, they should notify the other party in writing within seven business days to ensure communication remains smooth.
3. 平台已通过邮件和应用内通知两种方式向用户告知隐私政策的修订内容，请用户及时查阅。 The platform has informed users of the revised privacy policy via both email and in-app notifications, and users are asked to review it promptly.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, medical, administration, professional communication

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 公司有义务在政策调整生效前至少三十天，以书面形式向全体员工告知具体变更内容。(The company is obligated to inform all employees in writing of the specific changes at least thirty days before a policy adjustment takes effect.)
• 请在规定期限内告知我方您是否接受此次要约，逾期未回复将视同放弃。(Please inform our party whether you accept this offer within the specified period — failure to respond by the deadline will be deemed a waiver.)

Don't Say

• 告知我你的名字 — 告知 sounds overly bureaucratic for casual exchanges; use 告诉我 or 说一下 in everyday conversation

Origin & History

告 (to inform/announce) + 知 (to know/knowledge)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal