TongTong
Sign in

诉诸 (sù zhū) — to resort to (a specific means or course of action, especially force or legal action); to appeal to (an abstract quality such as reason, emotion, or principle)

Definition

诉诸 means 'to resort to' or 'to appeal to' a specific means (law, force) or abstract quality (reason, emotion). Note: 上诉 is specifically the legal 'to appeal' a court case; 玩弄 pairs with abstract qualities like 玩弄感情 and is critical/disapproving.

verb
to resort to (a specific means or course of action, especially force or legal action)to appeal to (an abstract quality such as reason, emotion, or principle)

Examples

  • 诉诸。
    Tā men jué dìng sù zhū fǎ lǜ lái bǎo hù zì jǐ de quán yì.
    They decided to resort to law to protect their rights.
  • 诉诸，。
    Yǎn jiǎng zhě sù zhū guān zhòng de tóng qíng xīn, hū yù dà jiā juān kuǎn.
    The speaker appealed to the audience's sympathy, urging everyone to donate.
  • 诉诸，。
    Tā men sù zhū wǔ lì shǒu duàn, dǎo zhì jú miàn è huà.
    They resorted to force, worsening the situation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

诉sùappeal
诸zhūit

诉 conveys appealing, and 诸 points to the thing appealed to, giving the sense of resorting to it.

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 諸; 诸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě諸zhū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 諸 pairs 言 (speech) with 者; 者 gives the sound.

Open 诸 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.