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罪过 (zuì guo) — fault, sin, offense; (humble expression) I don't deserve this; you're too kind; (polite apology) my fault; excuse me

Definition

A noun for a moral fault or sin, but in daily speech it's used as a humble self-deprecating interjection meaning 'I don't deserve it' or 'sorry, my fault' — softer and more self-effacing than a plain 道歉.

noun
faultsinoffense(humble expression) I don't deserve thisyou're too kind(polite apology) my faultexcuse me

Examples

  • 罪过。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ fàn xià le hěn dà de zuì guo.
    He felt he had committed a great sin.
  • ，罪过罪过，。
    Nín zhè me kuā jiǎng wǒ, zhēn shì zuì guo zuì guo, wǒ shòu bù qǐ.
    You flatter me so much — I really don't deserve it.
  • ，罪过罪过！
    Bù xiǎo xīn cǎi le nín de jiǎo, zuì guo zuì guo!
    Sorry for stepping on your foot — my fault!

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

罪zuìsin
过guòfault

罪 (sin) and 过 (fault) both mean wrongdoing, so together they denote an offense.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

罪 puts 罒 (a net, written fully as 网) over 非 (mistake).

Open 罪 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 過; 过 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi過guò
Same sound today

The traditional form 過 pairs 辵 (walk) with 咼 as a sound component; the simplified 过 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 过 →
Appears in
Law & Justice

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