控告
kònggào · HSK 7
charge
⚖️ 控 (sue/accuse) + 告 (tell, report) = formally report a charge against someone
告 also shows up in 报告 (report) and 警告 (warn) — it is the act of telling authorities something. Pair it with 控 (to accuse) and you get 控告: lodging a formal accusation, as in a lawsuit.
告 — ox 牛 (top) + mouth 口
Originally a pictograph showing an ox with something on its head, possibly a yoke or sacrificial marker, combined with 口 (mouth) to suggest announcing or reporting. The character came to mean 'to tell' or 'to announce,' as in making a formal declaration. Today it commonly appears in words like 告诉 (to tell) and 报告 (report).