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Expressing 'purposely' with 故 (gù)
Emphasis
Manner & Method
Structure
故 + Verb
Explanation
The adverb 故 (gù) means 'purposely' or 'deliberately' in literary or formal Chinese. It is a classical shortened form of 故意 and appears before a verb to indicate that an action was done intentionally. It is more commonly seen in written or legal contexts.
Examples
他故装不知道，其实心里清楚得很。
Tā gù zhuāng bù zhīdào, qíshí xīnli qīngchu de hěn.
He pretended not to know, but actually he was perfectly clear about it.
她故拖延时间，不想那么快做决定。
Tā gù tuōyán shíjiān, bù xiǎng nàme kuài zuò juédìng.
She deliberately stalled for time, not wanting to make a decision so quickly.
他故放慢脚步，等后面的朋友跟上来。
Tā gù fàngmàn jiǎobù, děng hòumiàn de péngyou gēn shànglái.
He deliberately slowed his pace, waiting for his friends behind to catch up.