About
The character for "to tell" or "to sue", now written as "诉", originated from its traditional form "訴", which is composed of the semantic component "言" (speech) and the phonetic component "斥", which also carries a sense of blame or accusation. This structure points to its early core meaning of laying out a grievance or making an accusation, often in a formal or legal context. Over centuries, its usage expanded from the specific act of lodging a complaint to encompass the broader, more general sense of informing or recounting, as in expressing one's thoughts or feelings. While the modern simplified form retains the essential speech radical "讠", it streamlines the character by adopting "斥" directly, a change that preserves a link to its original connotations of accusation even as the character's application in language covers both legal proceedings and everyday communication.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
妈妈告诉我答案。
他向老师诉苦。
她诉说自己的经历。
公司起诉了竞争对手。
他打算申诉这个判决。
消费者向监管部门投诉了商家。
尽管他多次诉说自己的困难，但没有人帮助他。
原告在法庭上详细陈述了诉讼请求。