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诉苦 (sù kǔ) — to complain (about one's hardships or grievances)

Definition

诉苦 means pouring out one's hardships or grievances to someone, often for sympathy — not filing a formal complaint like 投诉. It's closer to 抱怨 but focuses on personal suffering rather than blaming.

verb
to complain (about one's hardships or grievances)

Examples

  • 诉苦。
    Tā zǒng ài gēn péng you sù kǔ.
    He always likes to complain to his friends.
  • ，。
    Tā sù le yì wǎn shàng de kǔ, shuō gōng zuò tài lèi.
    She complained all evening, saying work was too tiring.
  • 诉苦，。
    Bié lǎo gēn wǒ sù kǔ, wǒ yě méi bàn fǎ.
    Don't keep complaining to me — I can't do anything about it either.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

诉sùtell
苦kǔhardship

诉 means tell and 苦 means hardship, so it means telling about one's hardships.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ苦kǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Open 苦 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech

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