哀诉 (āi sù) — to complain plaintively, to whine, to lament

Definition

哀诉 (āi sù) is a written, somewhat literary verb meaning to lament or complain in a sorrowful, plaintive tone — stronger and more formal than everyday 抱怨 ('to complain').

verb
to complain plaintivelyto whineto lament

Examples

  • 哀诉。
    Tā bù tíng dì xiàng péng you āi sù zì jǐ de bú xìng.
    He kept whining to his friends about his misfortunes.
  • 哀诉。
    Tā zài xìn zhōng āi sù shēng huó de jiān nán.
    She lamented the hardships of life in her letter.
  • 哀诉，。
    Bú yào zǒng shì āi sù, yào xiǎng xiǎng zěn me jiě jué wèn tí.
    Don't always whine — think about how to solve the problem.

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.

哀āisorrowful
诉sùcomplain

“哀” marks the sorrowful tone of “诉”, so the word means to complain plaintively.

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
衣
衣yī哀āi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

哀 combines 口 (mouth) with 衣 (yī), which gives it its sound.

Open 哀 →

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 →

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