公诉人 (gōng sù rén) — public prosecutor | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Public prosecutor — the state-appointed lawyer who brings criminal charges on behalf of the government, distinct from a private 律师. Acts on behalf of society in court, not the victim personally.

noun

public prosecutor

Measure word · 位

Examples

公诉人。
gōng sù rén Zài fǎ tíng shàng xuān dú le qǐ sù shū.
The public prosecutor read out the indictment in court.
公诉人。
gōng sù rén Xiàng zhèng rén tí chū le jǐ gè guān jiàn wèn tí.
The public prosecutor posed several key questions to the witness.
公诉人。
Biàn hù lǜ shī yǔ gōng sù rén jìn xíng le jī liè de biàn lùn.
The defense lawyer and the public prosecutor engaged in a heated debate.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

公诉public prosecution

公gōngpublic诉sùprosecute

偏正Modifier + head

公诉 is public prosecution, and 人 names the person who carries it out.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

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.

言斥訴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánword, speak

Sound part声符shēngfú

斥

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Appears in

Law & Justice Professions & Jobs

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