诉 (sù): to complain, to sue, to tell
诉 (sù) is a Chinese character meaning “to complain.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 讠 (structural) and 斥 (structural). It ranks #595 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 诉 words 讠 of blame 斥; 斥 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 讠 (speech) appears in many related characters such as 认 (rèn, to recognize, to admit), 记 (jì, to remember, to record), 识 (shí, to know, knowledge).
Definitions
- to complain
- to sue
- to tell
Etymology & Origin
ideographicWords 讠 of blame 斥; 斥 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰讠斥 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 诉 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 诉
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 起诉verb | qǐ sù | to sue |
| 诉讼verb | sù sòng | lawsuit |
| 上诉verb | shàng sù | to appeal (a judicial case) |
| 倾诉verb | qīng sù | to say everything (that is on one's mind) |
| 控诉verb | kòng sù | to accuse |
| 胜诉verb | shèng sù | to win a court case |
| 申诉verb | shēn sù | to file a complaint |
| 公诉人 | gōng sù rén | district attorney |
| 撤诉verb | chè sù | to drop a lawsuit |
| 公诉noun | gōng sù | public prosecution |
| 诉说verb | sù shuō | to recount |
| 哭诉verb | kū sù | to lament |
| 起诉书noun | qǐ sù shū | indictment (law) |
| 败诉verb | bài sù | to lose a lawsuit |
| 诉状noun | sù zhuàng | indictment |
诉 appears in 53 compound words: 23 as the first character, 45 as the last, and 32 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 诉 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
(lit.) as if weeping and complaining (idiom); (fig.) (of music, singing etc) mournful
Example Sentences
他向我诉说了自己的烦恼，希望我能给他一些建议。
Tā xiàng wǒ sùshuō le zìjǐ de fánnǎo, xīwàng wǒ néng gěi tā yīxiē jiànyì.
He told me about his troubles, hoping I could give him some advice.
中方抨滥征税 势触新诉讼
zhōng fāng pēng làn zhēng shuì shì chù xīn sù sòng
China condemns arbitrary tariffs, which may trigger new lawsuits.
...关税被裁定违宪 分析师:企业促退税需多年诉讼
. . . guān shuì bèi cái dìng wéi xiàn fēn xī shī qǐ yè cù tuì shuì xū duō nián sù sòng
Tariffs Ruled Unconstitutional; Analysts: Companies May Face Years of Litigation to Secure Tax Refunds
...查:近8成外佣被剥削 苦主被殴兼扣薪 泣诉待遇“畜生不如”
. . . chá jìn chéng wài yòng bèi bāo xiāo kǔ zhǔ bèi ōu jiān kòu xīn qì sù dài yù chù shēng bù rú
Nearly 80% of Foreign Domestic Helpers Face Exploitation Victims Report Being Beaten and Wages Withheld Weeping Complaints: Treatment "Worse Than Animals"
...手机遭乱收费自行维权无门,向 FCC 投诉后迅速获赔
. . . shǒu jī zāo luàn shōu fèi zì háng wéi quán wú mén , xiàng tóu sù hòu xùn sù huò péi
After facing unauthorized charges on their mobile phone and finding no avenue for self-help, they promptly received compensation following a complaint to the FCC.
德州起诉中国电商Shein!吴欣岱曝隐忧
dé zhōu qǐ sù zhōng guó diàn shāng ! wú xīn 岱 pù yǐn yōu
Texas Sues Chinese E-commerce Giant Shein! Wu Xinda Reveals Hidden Concerns
能不能麻烦你告诉我去邻村怎么走？
Néng bù néng máfan nǐ gàosu wǒ qù lín cūn zěnme zǒu?
Sorry, but can you show me the way to the next village?
你能告诉我这是什么吗？
Nǐ néng gàosu wǒ zhè shì shénme ma?
Can you tell me what this is?
可以把新地址告诉我吗？
Kěyǐ bǎ xīn dìzhǐ gàosu wǒ ma?
Please let me know your new address.
告诉我你是如果解决这些问题的？
Gàosu wǒ nǐ shì rúguǒ jiějué zhèxiē wèntí de?
Tell me how you got over such troubles?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 诉 (sù)?
Is 诉 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 诉 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.