愧 (kuì) — (bound form) ashamed; guilty

Definition

愧 is a bound form meaning 'ashamed / guilty' — it always combines with another character (e.g. 惭愧, 愧疚) rather than standing alone. Synonyms like 羞 target the social feeling; 愧 leans toward conscience and inner guilt.

bound form
ashamedguilty
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Kǎo shì méi kǎo hǎo, wǒ hěn cán kuì.
    I didn't do well on the exam, so I feel very ashamed.
  • ，。
    Tā zuò shì guāng míng lěi luò, wèn xīn wú kuì.
    He acts openly and honestly, with a clear conscience.
  • 。
    Tā duì céng jīng de xíng wéi gǎn dào shēn qiè de kuì jiù.
    She felt deep guilt over her past actions.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
鬼
鬼guǐ愧kuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

愧 has 心, the heart, on the left and 鬼 on the right. 鬼 gives the sound, while 心 shows that the meaning is a feeling in the heart.

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