Chinese word

控告

Pronunciation

Pinyinkòng gào

Meaning

  • verbsue

Example

她准备控告前夫。tā zhǔn bèi kòng gào qián fū

She plans to sue her ex-husband.

Illustration for 控告 (sue)

More examples

律师帮助受害者控告侵害者。lǜ shī bāng zhù shòu hài zhě kòng gào qīn hài zhě

The lawyer helped the victim sue the perpetrator.

Core concept

A formal move that places another person's alleged wrongdoing before a court or authority for legal accountability.

Common phrases

  • 向警方控告xiàng jǐng fāng kòng gào

    file a complaint with the police

  • 控告某人犯罪kòng gào mǒu rén fàn zuì

    accuse someone of a crime

Similar words

起诉qǐ sù: Bring a lawsuit in court to obtain a ruling or another legal remedy.
指控zhǐ kòng: Claim that someone may be guilty of a crime or other wrongdoing.
投诉tóu sù: Complain to a responsible organization about poor service or a faulty product and request action.
告发gào fā: Tell the authorities about illegal or dishonest conduct to prompt an investigation or punishment.

Definition in Chinese

通过法律或正式渠道向法院或有关机关提出对他人违法或侵害行为的指控，请求追究其法律责任。tōng guò fǎ lǜ huò zhèng shì qú dào xiàng fǎ yuàn huò yǒu guān jī guān tí chū duì tā rén wéi fǎ huò qīn hài xíng wéi de zhǐ kòng qǐng qiú zhuī jiū qí fǎ lǜ zé rèn

Word origin

控告 (kònggào, "to make a formal accusation") combines 控 (kòng, "to call to account") with 告 (gào, "to report"), linking a report to official action against wrongdoing.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word belongs to legal or official settings, so it sounds too strong for a minor disagreement or an ordinary complaint.

Other meanings

  • press chargesverb
  • accuseverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 控告状kòng gào zhuàngcriminal complaintnoun

Word lists with this word