Chinese word

责怪

Pronunciation

Pinyinzé guài

Meaning

  • verbblame

Example

不要责怪她，她不是故意的。bú yào zé guài tā tā bú shì gù yì de

Don't blame her; she didn't do it on purpose.

Illustration for 责怪 (blame)

More examples

他不停地责怪自己，觉得全是自己的错。tā bù tíng dì zé guài zì jǐ jué de quán shì zì jǐ de cuò

He keeps blaming himself, thinking it's all his fault.

Core concept

A complaint lands on the person linked to a particular fault, rather than floating as a general negative opinion.

Common phrases

  • 责怪别人zé guài bié rén

    blame others

  • 责怪自己zé guài zì jǐ

    blame oneself

  • 被责怪bèi zé guài

    be blamed

Similar words

责备zé bèi: Reproach someone directly for doing or saying something inappropriate.
指责zhǐ zé: Point out someone's fault and criticize them in a harsh way.
谴责qiǎn zé: Publicly or in writing, condemn a person or action with strong disapproval.

Definition in Chinese

对人指出其行为或造成的结果并表示不满或追究责任，通常用于具体的过错情形。duì rén zhǐ chū qí xíng wéi huò zào chéng de jié guǒ bìng biǎo shì bù mǎn huò zhuī jiū zé rèn tōng cháng yòng yú jù tǐ de guò cuò qíng xíng

Word origin

责怪 (zéguài, "blame") is formed from 责 (zé, "hold responsible") + 怪 (guài, "find at fault"), joining two ideas that focus dissatisfaction on a fault.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often reserve strong blame for serious faults, but this Chinese verb also appears in ordinary family and social complaints about a specific mistake, with its force shaped by context.

Other meanings

  • criticizeverb
  • reproachverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word