起诉

• Pinyin: qǐ sù
• Hanzi breakdown: 起 = 走 (walk) + 己 (self) — to rise/initiate; 诉 = 讠(speech) + 斥 (scold) — to accuse or complain

Meaning

To sue; to prosecute; to file a lawsuit. The formal legal action of bringing a case to court.

A legal term used when one party formally accuses another in court. Can be civil (民事起诉 — filing a civil suit) or criminal (刑事起诉 — criminal prosecution). The person filing is called 原告 (plaintiff) or 起诉方, and the defendant is 被告.

Examples

1. 她决定起诉那家公司侵犯她的知识产权。 She decided to sue the company for infringing on her intellectual property.
2. 检察院已经正式对嫌疑人提起诉讼。 The procuratorate has officially filed charges against the suspect.
3. 如果协商不成，我们只能通过法律途径起诉。 If negotiation fails, we can only sue through legal channels.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, business, disputes

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 他被起诉了。(He has been sued.)
• 你可以考虑起诉对方。(You might consider suing the other party.)

Don't Say

• 不要在非法律语境用'起诉'来表示普通的抱怨 (Don't use 起诉 for casual complaints — it specifically means formal legal action)

Origin & History

Compound of 起 (to start, to initiate) and 诉 (to accuse, to sue). Together they mean to initiate an accusation or legal complaint.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal