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哭诉 (kū sù) — to complain tearfully; to sob while telling one's grievances

Definition

哭诉 combines 哭 (cry) + 诉 (tell/complain), meaning to pour out grievances while sobbing — stronger and more emotional than plain 抱怨 or 投诉, which imply calm complaint.

verb
to complain tearfullyto sob while telling one's grievances

Examples

  • 哭诉。
    Tā xiàng wǒ kū sù le zì jǐ de zāo yù.
    She tearfully told me about her experiences.
  • 哭诉。
    Shòu hài zhě xiàng jì zhě kū sù zhàng fu de jiā bào xíng wéi.
    The victim tearfully complained to the journalist about her husband's domestic violence.
  • ，哭诉。
    Zài fǎ tíng shàng, lǎo rén kū sù ér zi bú shàn yǎng zì jǐ.
    In court, the old man tearfully complained that his son doesn't support him.

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.

哭kūcry
诉sùtell

“哭” gives crying and “诉” gives telling, so complain while crying.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
吅吅xuānto speak loudly
Sound part声符shēngfú
獄
獄yù哭kū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 哭 showed 吅, loudly, above a long-haired person; that lower part later became dog-like shapes. Later, 哭 was analyzed as 吅 plus 獄 for sound.

Open 哭 →

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
Emotions & FeelingsCommunication & Speech

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