Tousu

Tousu (投诉) is a Mandarin Chinese term meaning the act of lodging a formal complaint with an organization or authority to seek redress for an issue involving a product, service, or administrative decision. It is widely used in consumer protection, civil administration, and labor relations, and can be filed by individuals or authorized representatives.

Origin and meaning: The two characters are 投 (to throw or lodge) and 诉 (to inform, accuse, or plead). In legal and bureaucratic contexts, 投诉 denotes directing a grievance to the appropriate body with the expectation of remedy, review, or accountability.

Channels and process: Complaints may be submitted via customer service lines, online forms, email, postal mail, or government channels. In China, consumer complaints are handled by companies' consumer protection units and by regulatory agencies; many jurisdictions also support government "xinfang" (letters and visits) for grievances. The typical process includes acknowledgment, investigation, response, and possible remedies such as refunds, replacements, repairs, compensation, or disciplinary action.

Terminology and distinctions: 投诉 differs from 举报 (jǔbào), which means to report suspected illegal activity to authorities, and from 申诉 (shēnsù), which often refers to an appeal against a decision within a legal or administrative process. The boundaries can blur in informal speech, but each term has a distinct scope and procedure.

Context and usage: In many Chinese-speaking regions, filing complaints is a common consumer and citizen practice. With the growth of online platforms, digital complaint channels have become prevalent, enabling faster routing to appropriate departments and more transparent handling.