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忏悔 (chàn huǐ) — (verb) to repent, to feel remorse for one's sins or wrongdoing; (verb) to confess (one's sins), especially in a religious setting

Definition

A formal, often religious term for repenting past wrongdoing, including formally confessing sins in a church or Buddhist setting. Stronger and more literary than everyday 后悔 ('regret').

verb
to repent, to feel remorse for one's sins or wrongdoingto confess (one's sins), especially in a religious setting

Examples

  • 忏悔。
    Tā wèi tā guò qù de xíng wéi shēn shēn chàn huǐ.
    He deeply repents his past actions.
  • ，忏悔。
    Zài jiào táng lǐ, tā xiàng shàng dì chàn huǐ le zì jǐ de zuì guo.
    In the church, he confessed his sins to God.
  • 忏悔。
    Fó jiào tú tōng guò chàn huǐ lái jìng huà xīn líng.
    Buddhists purify their minds through repentance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

忏chànrepentance
悔huǐregret

忏 and 悔 both mean regretting wrongdoing, so together they express repentance or confession.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
千
千qiān忏chàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

忏 uses 心, the heart, for its meaning area, and 千 for the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi悔huǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悔 pairs 忄, the heart part, with 每, which gives a sound hint.

Open 悔 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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