Chinese word

道歉

Pronunciation

Pinyindào qiàn

Meaning

  • verbapologize

Example

他向朋友道歉了。tā xiàng péng yǒu dào qiàn le

He apologized to his friend.

Illustration for 道歉 (apologize)

More examples

他向领导诚恳地道歉，希望能得到原谅。tā xiàng líng dǎo chéng kěn dì dào qiàn xī wàng néng dé dào yuán liàng

He sincerely apologized to his superior and hoped to be forgiven.

Core concept

Words or actions that acknowledge fault and express regret to the person affected.

Common phrases

  • 向公众道歉xiàng gōng zhòng dào qiàn

    apologize to the public

  • 诚恳地道歉chéng kěn dì dào qiàn

    offer a sincere apology

  • 向上级道歉xiàng shàng jí dào qiàn

    apologize to one's superior

Similar words

认错rèn cuò: Recognize and admit one's mistake, then apologize for it.
表示歉意biǎo shì qiàn yì: Show regret for causing trouble through words or behavior.

Definition in Chinese

向对方承认自己有错并表示歉意的动作或言语。xiàng duì fāng chéng rèn zì jǐ yǒu cuò bìng biǎo shì qiàn yì de dòng zuò huò yán yǔ

Word origin

道 (dào, "to say") + 歉 (qiàn, "regret") forms a compound for expressing regret after doing something wrong.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, the person receiving an apology is commonly introduced with 向 (xiàng, "toward"), while the reason is introduced with 为 (wèi, "for").

Other meanings

  • apologynoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word