Chinese word

反省

Pronunciation

Pinyinfǎn xǐng

Meaning

  • verbreflect on

Example

我应该反省自己的错误。wǒ yīng gāi fán xǐng zì jǐ de cuò wù

I should reflect on my own mistakes.

Illustration for 反省 (reflect on)

More examples

经历挫折后，他开始反省自己的决定。jīng lì cuò zhé hòu tā kāi shǐ fán xǐng zì jǐ de jué dìng

After experiencing a setback, he began to reflect on his decision.

Core concept

Turn attention back toward one's own actions and thoughts to find what needs to change.

Common phrases

  • 认真反省rèn zhēn fán xǐng

    seriously reflect on

  • 深刻反省shēn kè fán xǐng

    deeply reflect on

  • 诚恳反省chéng kěn fán xǐng

    sincerely reflect on

Similar words

反思fǎn sī: To think deeply about an event or one's ideas and find ways to improve.
自省zì xǐng: To quietly examine one's inner self and actions, especially flaws in character or habits.
检讨jián tǎo: To identify one's own fault or failure, accept responsibility, and explain how to improve.

Definition in Chinese

反省是在行为或想法发生后回头检查自己的错误或不足，并思考如何改正的心理过程。fán xǐng shì zài xíng wèi huò xiáng fǎ fā shēng hòu huí tóu jiǎn chá zì jǐ de cuò wù huò bù zú bìng sī kǎo rú hé gǎi zhèng de xīn lǐ guò chéng

Word origin

反省 (fǎnxǐng, "reflect on") combines 反 (fǎn, "turn back") + 省 (xǐng, "examine"), forming the idea of turning back to inspect oneself.

Usage tips

  • For native English speakers, the English verb reflect is broader and can mean thinking about any subject, whereas this Chinese verb usually focuses on one's own mistake or shortcoming after an event.

Other meanings

  • self-reflectverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 反省书fán xǐng shūself-criticism letternoun
  • 反省会fán xǐng huìself-reflection meetingnoun

Word lists with this word