Chinese word

发誓

Pronunciation

Pinyinfā shì

Meaning

  • verbswear

Example

我发誓一定不会再迟到。wǒ fā shì yí dìng bú huì zài chí dào

I swear I will not be late again.

Illustration for 发誓 (swear)

More examples

他在法庭上发誓自己是清白的。tā zài fǎ tíng shàng fā shì zì jǐ shì qīng bái de

He swore in court that he was innocent.

Core concept

An emphatic commitment that binds the speaker to doing something or refusing to do it.

Common phrases

  • 向父母发誓xiàng fù mǔ fā shì

    swear to one's parents

  • 在法庭上发誓zài fǎ tíng shàng fā shì

    swear in court

  • 郑重地发誓zhèng zhòng dì fā shì

    solemnly swear

Similar words

保证bǎo zhèng: To assure someone that something is certain or protected.
承诺chéng nuò: To give someone a clear promise and show the will to keep it.

Definition in Chinese

用语言（有时也伴随动作）表示自己坚决要做或绝不做某事的承诺，常用来加强语气。yòng yǔ yán yǒu shí yě bàn suí dòng zuò biǎo shì zì jǐ jiān jué yào zuò huò jué bú zuò mǒu shì de chéng nuò cháng yòng lái jiā qiáng yǔ qì

Word origin

发誓 (fāshì, "to swear an oath") joins 发 (fā, "to utter or issue") and 誓 (shì, "oath"), forming the idea of putting a solemn promise into speech.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may first connect this word with using bad language, but its everyday Chinese use centers on making a strong promise, so context matters.

Other meanings

  • take an oathverb
  • pledgeverb

Opposites

  • 食言shí yánbreak one's wordverb
  • 反悔fán huǐgo back on one's wordverb

Related words

Word lists with this word