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申诉 (shēn sù) — to file a complaint (to an authority or organization); to appeal (to a higher court or authority)

Definition

申诉 is a formal appeal to a higher authority — broader than 上诉 (which is strictly judicial). Unlike 投诉, which targets a business as a consumer, 申诉 challenges a decision or ruling.

verb
to file a complaint (to an authority or organization)to appeal (to a higher court or authority)

Examples

  • ，申诉。
    Tā duì fǎ yuàn de pàn jué bù fú, jué dìng xiàng gèng gāo fǎ yuàn shēn sù.
    He disagreed with the court's verdict and decided to appeal to a higher court.
  • ，申诉。
    Rú guǒ nǐ jué de gōng sī zhì dù bù gōng píng, kě yǐ xiàng shàng jí shēn sù.
    If you think the company's rules are unfair, you can appeal to your superiors.
  • 申诉。
    Xiāo fèi zhě kě yǐ shēn sù chǎn pǐn zhì liàng wèn tí.
    Consumers can file a complaint about product quality issues.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

申shēnstate
诉sùcomplain

申 means state or appeal, and 诉 means complain; together they describe formally stating a grievance.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape comes from a picture of a bolt of lightning. It was the original character for lightning and spirit.

Open 申 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Law & Justice

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