羞愧 (xiū kuì) — ashamed

Definition

A formal written word for the shame you feel about your own wrongdoing — stronger and more internal than 害羞 (shy). Closer to 惭愧 than to 可耻 (which judges the act, not the person).

adjective
ashamed

Examples

  • 羞愧。
    Tā yīn wèi shuō huǎng ér gǎn dào shí fēn xiū kuì.
    He felt very ashamed because of lying.
  • 羞愧，。
    Tā xiū kuì dì wǔ zhù le liǎn, bù gǎn tái tóu.
    She covered her face in shame and didn't dare to look up.
  • ，羞愧。
    Kǎo shì zuò bì bèi zhuā zhù hòu, tā mǎn liǎn xiū kuì.
    After being caught cheating on the exam, his face was full of shame.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

羞xiūshame
愧kuìguilt

羞 (shame) and 愧 (guilt) together describe feeling ashamed.

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
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
丑
丑chǒu羞xiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

羞 is built from 羊, a sheep, as the meaning part, and 丑 for the sound.

Open 羞 →

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.

Open 愧 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

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