Meaning of 打官司
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to file a lawsuit
- to sue
- to dispute
How to use 打官司
打官司 is a verb-object phrase meaning to go to court or to sue someone. You often say 跟某人打官司 (gēn mǒu rén dǎ guānsi) for "to have a lawsuit with someone." Example: 他跟公司打官司打了两年。(Tā gēn gōngsī dǎ guānsi dǎle liǎng nián.) He fought a lawsuit with the company for two years.
打 (dǎ) means to hit or to do, and 官司 (guānsi) means a lawsuit, so 打官司 is literally "to fight a lawsuit." Picture two people fighting in front of an official 官 (guān), who decides who wins.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 官司 (guānsi) with 公司 (gōngsī, company) because they sound alike and share 司. Also note that 司 in 官司 is usually said in the neutral tone, so it is guānsi, not guānsī.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
打 dǎ · to hit · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
官 guān · government official · 8 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
司 sī · to take charge of · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 打官司.
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 打开 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket) |
| 打球 | dǎ qiú | to play a ball sport |
| 打车 | dǎchē | to take a taxi (in town); to hitch a lift |
| 公司 | gōngsī | company; firm; corporation |
| 打算 | dǎsuàn | to plan; to intend |
| 司机 | sījī | chauffeur; driver |
| 打工 | dǎgōng | to work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or d |
| 打印 | dǎyìn | to affix a seal; to stamp |
| 打破 | dǎpò | to break; to smash |
| 打听 | dǎting | to ask about; to make some inquiries |
| 法官 | fǎguān | judge (in court) |
Questions about 打官司
What does 打官司 mean?
打官司 (dǎ guānsi) means "to file a lawsuit; to sue".
How do you write 打官司?
打官司 is made of 3 characters: 打 (5 strokes), 官 (8 strokes), 司 (5 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 打官司 an HSK word?
Yes. 打官司 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I split 打官司 and put words in the middle?
Yes. Because it is a verb plus object, you can say 打了一场官司 (dǎle yì chǎng guānsi), "fought a lawsuit." The measure word for 官司 is usually 场 (chǎng).
How do I say "sue someone" more formally?
In formal or written Chinese, people use 起诉 (qǐsù), as in 起诉某人 (qǐsù mǒu rén). 打官司 is more conversational and covers the whole process of going to court.