惭愧 (cán kuì) — ashamed, apologetic (about one's own inadequacy or fault)
Definition
惭愧 (cánkuì) is the formal, written word for feeling ashamed of one's own inadequacy or failure — softer and more self-directed than 羞耻 or 羞愧, which emphasize moral shame. Unlike 害羞 or 难为情, it is not used for social shyness.
adjective
ashamedapologetic (about one's own inadequacy or fault)
Examples
- ，惭愧。Tīng dào tā de biǎo yáng, wǒ fǎn ér jué de hěn cán kuì.Hearing his praise, I on the contrary felt quite ashamed.
- ，惭愧。Méi néng bāng shàng nǐ de máng, wǒ shí fēn cán kuì.Not being able to help, I feel very apologetic.
- 惭愧！。cán kuì! Zhè diǎn xiǎo shì dōu zuò bù hǎo.I feel so ashamed — can't even handle this little task.
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