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诉讼 (sù sòng) — to file a lawsuit; to litigate

Definition

诉讼 is the formal, general term for the legal process of 'litigating / filing a lawsuit'. 起诉 focuses on the act of bringing a case to court; 告 is more colloquial and can also mean 'to tell/inform'.

verb
to file a lawsuitto litigate

Examples

  • 诉讼。
    Tā jué dìng sù sòng duì fāng.
    He decided to sue the other party.
  • 诉讼。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī sù sòng le jìng zhēng duì shǒu.
    This company sued its competitor.
  • ，诉讼。
    Rú guǒ xié shāng bù chéng, wǒ men jiù sù sòng.
    If negotiation fails, we will file a lawsuit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

诉sùaccuse
讼sònglitigate

“诉” and “讼” both concern legal accusation and dispute, so together they name litigation.

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.

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 →

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 訟; 讼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng訟sòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 訟 pairs 言 (say) with 公, which supplies the sound; the simplified 讼 is a shorthand.

Open 讼 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Law & Justice5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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