Chinese word

指责

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhǐ zé

Meaning

  • verbcriticize

Example

他不应该指责别人。tā bù yīng gāi zhǐ zé bié rén

He shouldn't criticize others.

Illustration for 指责 (criticize)

More examples

公众很快指责政府的决定。gōng zhòng hěn kuài zhǐ zé zhèng fǔ de jué dìng

The public quickly criticized the government's decision.

Core concept

A pointed judgment that puts a person's fault in the spotlight.

Common phrases

  • 指责别人zhǐ zé bié rén

    criticize others

  • 受到指责shòu dào zhǐ zé

    be criticized

  • 公开指责gōng kāi zhǐ zé

    publicly criticize

  • 相互指责xiāng hù zhǐ zé

    criticize each other

Similar words

批评pī píng: To criticize an action or opinion by pointing out its faults and expressing disapproval.
责备zé bèi: To criticize someone for not meeting an expected standard or duty.
责怪zé guài: To blame someone for causing a bad result.
指出zhǐ chū: To point out a specific problem or mistake clearly, often to draw attention to it.

Definition in Chinese

以责备的语气对某人表示不满或批评yǐ zé bèi de yǔ qì duì mǒu rén biǎo shì bù mǎn huò pī píng

Word origin

指 (zhǐ, "point") + 责 (zé, "blame") presents the idea of pointing someone out as at fault, which gives the word its direct tone.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the verb usually targets a person, while a comment about a mistake can stay impersonal; this difference helps mark when criticism feels personal.

Other meanings

  • blameverb
  • scoldverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 指责者zhǐ zé zhěcriticizernoun

Word lists with this word