‘告状’ literally combines ‘告’ (to report, inform) and ‘状’ (a formal complaint or accusation, historically a written petition to authorities). Together, it means to tattle or snitch — typically by reporting someone’s misbehavior to a person in authority, such as a parent, teacher, or supervisor. It carries a mildly negative or childish connotation, implying the reporter is seeking punishment or advantage rather than resolving the issue directly.

The word is most commonly used in everyday spoken Chinese, especially when describing children’s behavior at home or school. Adults may use it playfully or critically — for example, teasing a colleague who complains about a minor workplace issue, or scolding a child for escalating a small conflict instead of negotiating. While grammatically a verb, ‘告状’ functions as a separable verb: you can say ‘告他的状’ (report *his* wrongdoing) or ‘去告状’ (go tattle), but not ‘告状了他’.