告状

• Pinyin: gào zhuàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 告 = 牛 + 口 (announce, accuse); 状 = 爿 + 犬 (half-plank + dog — shape, condition, written statement)

Meaning

To file a complaint; to report someone to an authority; to tattle or inform on someone to a superior or official body.

Used in both everyday and legal contexts. In informal settings, it often describes a child reporting a peer to a teacher (小孩子爱告状). In formal contexts, it refers to filing a legal complaint (向法院告状). The term carries a slightly negative connotation of going behind someone's back to get them into trouble.

Examples

1. 他在公司里遭受了不公平对待，经过多次内部沟通无果后，决定向劳动仲裁委员会正式告状。 He was treated unfairly at work, and after repeated internal discussions went nowhere, he decided to file a formal complaint with the labor arbitration committee.
2. 班主任发现班级里存在相互告状的风气，专门召开班会引导学生学会用沟通代替举报。 When the homeroom teacher noticed a habit of students tattling on each other, they held a class meeting to guide students to use communication instead of reporting one another.
3. 据史书记载，百姓若蒙受冤屈，可击响门前的登闻鼓，直接向官府告状申诉。 Historical records say that if common people suffered an injustice, they could strike the Dengwen Drum in front of the office and directly file a complaint to appeal their case.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, school, workplace, colloquial

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她向人事部门告状，指控直属上司长期对其进行语言骚扰，并提交了详细的书面陈述。(She filed a complaint with the HR department, accusing her direct supervisor of sustained verbal harassment, and submitted a detailed written account.)
• 这位村民认为土地确权结果存在问题，已多次向县级主管部门告状，要求重新调查核实。(This villager believes the land registration result is problematic and has filed complaints multiple times with the county authority, requesting a fresh investigation and verification.)

Don't Say

• 别告我的状 — use 别向上级汇报我 or 别出卖我 in more specific contexts depending on whether the concern is tattling or betrayal

Origin & History

告 (to inform/accuse) + 状 (state of affairs/complaint document)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical to present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal