讼

訟

sòng

公 + 讠

Definitions

sòng (noun) litigation; lawsuit

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 公 represents the sound. Simplified form of 訟.

Semantic: 讠 Phonetic: 公

About

The character 讼, derived from its traditional form 訟, is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic component 讠, a simplified form of 言 (speech), combines with the phonetic component 公 (public/fair). This structure originally conveyed the idea of debating or arguing an issue openly in a public forum. Over time, the meaning specialized to refer specifically to formal legal disputes, lawsuits, and litigation brought before an authority. Today, 讼 is primarily associated with legal proceedings and court cases rather than general arguments.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他提起了诉讼。

tā tí qǐ le sù sòng

He filed a lawsuit.

这家公司涉及法律诉讼。

zhè jiā gōng sī shè jí fǎ lǜ sù sòng

This company is involved in legal litigation.

诉讼过程很漫长。

sù sòng guò chéng hěn màn cháng

The litigation process is very long.

为了避免诉讼，他们达成了和解。

wèi le bì miǎn sù sòng, tā men dá chéng le hé jiě

To avoid litigation, they reached a settlement.

民事诉讼通常比刑事诉讼耗时。

mín shì sù sòng tōng cháng bǐ xíng shì sù sòng hào shí

Civil litigation usually takes more time than criminal litigation.

由于证据不足，诉讼被法院驳回了。

yóu yú zhèng jù bù zú, sù sòng bèi fǎ yuàn bó huí le

Due to insufficient evidence, the lawsuit was dismissed by the court.

这场诉讼的结果影响了整个行业。

zhè chǎng sù sòng de jié guǒ yǐng xiǎng le zhěng gè háng yè

The outcome of this lawsuit affected the entire industry.

在复杂的商业纠纷中，诉讼往往是最后的手段。

zài fù zá de shāng yè jiū fēn zhōng, sù sòng wǎng wǎng shì zuì hòu de shǒu duàn

In complex commercial disputes, litigation is often the last resort.

Related Characters

Component: 公

Component: 讠

讼