Chinese word

辩解

Pronunciation

Pinyinbiàn jiě

Meaning

  • verbmake excuses

Example

他不停地辩解，可是没人相信。tā bù tíng dì biàn jiě kě shì méi rén xiāng xìn

He kept making excuses, but nobody believed him.

Illustration for 辩解 (make excuses)

More examples

她为自己辩解，但证据不支持她的说法。tā wèi zì jǐ biàn jiě dàn zhèng jù bù zhī chí tā de shuō fǎ

She made excuses for herself, but the evidence did not support her claim.

Core concept

An effort to push back against blame by putting one's side of a situation into words.

Common phrases

  • 为自己辩解wèi zì jǐ biàn jiě

    make excuses for oneself

  • 找借口辩解zhǎo jiè kǒu biàn jiě

    make excuses

  • 公开辩解gōng kāi biàn jiě

    defend oneself publicly

Similar words

解释jiě shì: State facts or circumstances clearly to help others understand them.
找借口zhǎo jiè kǒu: Offer a made-up reason to escape blame or responsibility for something wrong.
辩护biàn hù: Speak in support of someone or something when it faces criticism.

Definition in Chinese

用言语为自己提供理由或解释，以减轻责备或澄清事实。yòng yán yǔ wèi zì jǐ tí gōng lǐ yóu huò jiě shì yǐ jiǎn qīng zé bèi huò chéng qīng shì shí

Word origin

辩 (biàn, "argue") and 解 (jiě, "explain or untie") combine debate with explanation, forming a word for verbally accounting for one's actions.

Usage tips

  • When an apology is expected, this word can make a response sound as if reasons matter more than responsibility.

Other meanings

  • defend oneselfverb
  • explain oneselfverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 辩解者biàn jié zhěperson who makes excusesnoun
  • 辩解书biàn jiě shūwritten explanationnoun
  • 辩解词biàn jiě cíwords of defensenoun

Word lists with this word