苦主

kǔzhǔ

noun #78,824

Meanings

1 (historically) the family of a murder victim
2 (Taiwan, Hong Kong) victim of a crime or misfortune
3 (colloquial, Taiwan) the unlucky one who bears the cost while others benefit

Characters

bitter, suffering

owner, master, party

Examples

案件的苦主家属今天到法院出席审判。

Ànjiàn de kǔzhǔ jiāshǔ jīntiān dào fǎyuàn chūxí shěnpàn.

The victim's family members attended the trial at court today.

公司倒闭，员工成了最大的苦主。

Gōngsī dǎobì, yuángōng chéng le zuì dà de kǔzhǔ.

When the company went bankrupt, the employees became the biggest losers.

Tips

history

In imperial law codes 苦主 specifically meant the family of a murder victim — the people 'left to suffer' (苦) by the crime. The Taiwan/HK extension to 'crime victim' or 'the one stuck holding the bag' grew out of that older legal sense.

Stroke Order

苦 kǔ

主 zhǔ