起诉
qǐ sù · HSK 6
to sue
⚖️ qǐ sù sounds like 'key sue' — the key to suing someone
起 means rise/start and 诉 means complain/tell. Together: to rise up and formally complain — to sue or prosecute. The 'key sue' sound hook locks in the pronunciation.
起 — 走 (run) + 己 (self/phonetic)
起 combines 走 'run/walk' as the meaning component with 己 as the phonetic component. The 走 element suggests movement of the body, giving the core sense of rising up or starting to move. From there it extended to meanings like 'get up,' 'begin,' and 'arise.'