告状 (gào zhuàng) — to tell on someone; to complain (to a superior); to bring a lawsuit; to sue
Definition
告状 (gào zhuàng) means 'to tell on someone' to a superior (like a boss or parent) or 'to sue'. Unlike 抱怨 (grumble informally) or 投诉 (file a customer complaint), 告状 implies reporting someone else to an authority.
verb
to tell on someoneto complain (to a superior)to bring a lawsuitto sue
Examples
- 告状，。Dì di yòu qù gēn mā ma gào zhuàng le, zhēn fán rén.My little brother went to tell Mom on me again—so annoying.
- 告状。Yuán gōng xiàng jīng lǐ gào zhuàng shuō tóng shì jīng cháng chí dào.The employee complained to the manager that a coworker was often late.
- 。Tā jué dìng xiàng fǎ yuàn gào yí zhuàng.He decided to file a lawsuit in court.
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