Chinese idiom · 成语
鸣冤叫屈
Meaning
To cry out injustice; to protest wrongful treatment.
Character by character
Origin and story
Documented usage鸣冤叫屈 combines two closely related actions: voicing an injustice and protesting unfair treatment. It need not refer to a famous lawsuit or a particular wronged character. A documented modern example appears in Ba Jin's afterword to Tansuo Ji (探索集), where he explains that writing Family was a way to protest the social order that harmed young lives and speak on their behalf.
That attestation illustrates the expression; it does not establish that Ba Jin invented it. Someone may 鸣冤叫屈 for themselves or for others. The phrase reports an assertion of injustice, so using it does not by itself settle whether every detail of a complaint is true.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
被误扣考勤奖金后，他拿着打卡记录向主管鸣冤叫屈。
After his attendance bonus was wrongly docked, he showed his clock-in records to his supervisor and protested.
Can describe one's own complaint or speaking up for someone else.