(qǐ sù) - to sue, to prosecute in Mandarin
qǐsùTraditional: 起訴
Translation
to sue, to prosecute
Word origin
A compound of 起 (qǐ, to raise, to initiate) and 诉 (sù, to tell, to complain, to accuse), so literally to raise a complaint before a court.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 起 (qǐ, to raise) + 诉 (sù, to accuse)
Stroke order
起
诉
Examples
。
He decided to sue that company.
。
We will prosecute him in accordance with the law.
。
Before you sue you need to find a solicitor.
，。
She has been charged, but the case has not started yet.
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A small matter like this is not worth going to court over.
起诉 (qǐ sù) is the formal legal act of bringing a case: to sue in a civil matter, to prosecute or to charge in a criminal one. Chinese does not split those two the way English does, so the same verb serves a private claimant and a state prosecutor, and the context tells you which.
It is transitive and takes the defendant as its object, 起诉那家公司, and it inverts naturally with 被 for the receiving end, 他被起诉了, he has been charged. The paperwork is 起诉书 and the person bringing the case is 原告.
The trap is 告. Learners meet 告 early as to tell and later meet 告他 meaning to take him to court, which is the same verb doing colloquial duty. 告 is what you say to a friend over dinner; 起诉 is what the document says. Using 起诉 in casual complaint sounds like reading from a statute.
Where this fits
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起诉: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "起诉" (to sue, to prosecute): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 52.