Chinese word

惭愧

Pronunciation

Pinyincán kuì

Meaning

  • adjectiveashamed

Example

他说的话让我有点惭愧。tā shuō de huà ràng wǒ yóu diǎn cán kuì

His words made me feel a little ashamed.

Illustration for 惭愧 (ashamed)

More examples

领奖时，他心生惭愧。líng jiǎng shí tā xīn shēng cán kuì

When receiving the award, he felt ashamed.

Core concept

An inward feeling that a mistake or shortcoming leaves a person exposed and responsible.

Common phrases

  • 心生惭愧xīn shēng cán kuì

    feel ashamed

  • 心里很惭愧xīn lǐ hěn cán kuì

    feel very ashamed

Similar words

羞愧xiū kuì: Feeling ashamed of a fault or action so strongly that hiding the face seems natural.
内疚nèi jiù: Feeling sorry and responsible after causing someone pain, trouble, or inconvenience.
难为情nán wéi qíng: Feeling embarrassed and shy, making speech or actions less natural.
尴尬gān gà: Feeling uncomfortable when a social setting becomes tense, strange, or awkward.

Definition in Chinese

表示因为觉得自己不够好或做错事而感到羞愧、内心自责，常用以表达谦虚或悔意。biǎo shì yīn wèi jué de zì jǐ bú gòu hǎo huò zuò cuò shì ér gǎn dào xiū kuì nèi xīn zì zé cháng yòng yǐ biǎo dá qiān xū huò huǐ yì

Word origin

惭愧 (cánkuì, "ashamed") combines 惭 (cán, "ashamed") and 愧 (kuì, "guilty"), with two near-synonymous characters reinforcing shame and self-reproach.

Usage tips

  • After receiving praise or help, speakers may use this word to show that the kindness feels undeserved, so the tone can be modest rather than a report of serious wrongdoing.

Other meanings

  • guiltyadjective
  • embarrassedadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 惭愧难当cán kuì nán dāngbe deeply ashamedidiom

Word lists with this word