Chinese word

致歉

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhì qiàn

Meaning

  • verbapologize

Example

犯了错后，他在信里致歉。fàn le cuò hòu tā zài xìn lǐ zhì qiàn

After making a mistake, he apologized in a letter.

Illustration for 致歉 (apologize)

More examples

会议结束时，经理向大家致歉。huì yì jié shù shí jīng lǐ xiàng dà jiā zhì qiàn

At the end of the meeting, the manager apologized to everyone.

Core concept

A formal act of sending an acknowledgment of fault or regret to the person affected.

Common phrases

  • 向朋友致歉xiàng péng yǒu zhì qiàn

    apologize to a friend

  • 公开致歉gōng kāi zhì qiàn

    apologize publicly

Similar words

对不起duì bù qǐ: Say sorry briefly and directly to another person in everyday speech.
道歉dào qiàn: Offer an apology by expressing regret for something done wrong.
认错rèn cuò: Admit that one made a mistake and apologize for it.

Definition in Chinese

以较正式的方式向对方表示歉意，承认错误或表达遗憾，多用于书面或正式场合。yǐ jiào zhèng shì de fāng shì xiàng duì fāng biǎo shì qiàn yì chéng rèn cuò wù huò biǎo dá yí hàn duō yòng yú shū miàn huò zhèng shì chǎng hé

Word origin

致歉 (zhìqiàn, "formal apology") combines 致 (zhì, "to convey") with 歉 (qiàn, "regret for a shortcoming"), presenting an apology as something conveyed to another person.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word can sound official, so a short apology to a friend usually uses a more casual expression, while this word suits a letter, notice, or public statement.

Word lists with this word