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上诉 (shàng sù) — to appeal (a judicial case)

Definition

上诉 (shàngsù) is the legal term for appealing a court decision to a higher court. Unlike 申诉 (appeal to any authority) or 呼吁 (public call), 上诉 is strictly a judicial procedure.

verb
to appeal (a judicial case)

Examples

  • ，上诉。
    Bèi gào bù fú yī shěn pàn jué, jué dìng shàng sù.
    The defendant disagreed with the first-instance judgment and decided to appeal.
  • 上诉。
    Lǜ shī rèn wéi wǒ men yǒu chōng fèn lǐ yóu shàng sù.
    The lawyer thinks we have sufficient grounds to appeal.
  • 上诉。
    Fǎ yuàn bó huí le tā de shàng sù.
    The court dismissed his appeal.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

上shàngto go up
诉sùlawsuit

上 conveys going up to a higher court, and 诉 refers to the lawsuit, giving the sense of appeal.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 訴; 诉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword, speak
Sound part声符shēngfú
斥
斥chì訴sù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 訴 pairs 言 (word, speak) with 斥, which gives the sound and points to accusing by speech. The simplified 诉 is a later shorthand.

Open 诉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Law & Justice

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