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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.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

告gàoaccuse or tell on
状zhuàngcomplaint or lawsuit

告 is to accuse or tell on, and 状 is a written complaint or lawsuit.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The origin is unclear: one theory sees 告 as 壴 (a decorated drum) above 口 (an open mouth), while another sees a tongue sticking out of 口.

Open 告 →

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 狀; 状 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán狀zhuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 狀 pairs 犬 (dog) with 爿 as a sound component; the simplified 状 is a shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 状 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & PoliceLaw & Justice

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