辜负

• Pinyin: gū fù
• Hanzi breakdown: 辜 = 古 (ancient/enduring) + 辛 (hardship; branding tool — signifying punishment or sin) — to bear an enduring fault; 负 = 刀 (knife) + 贝 (shell/value) — originally to carry value on one's back; to owe, to bear a burden

Meaning

To let down; to fail to live up to; to betray someone's trust, expectations, or kindness. Implies that an obligation, expectation, or affection has been squandered or unreciprocated.

辜负 carries strong moral and emotional accountability. It is commonly used when someone fails to honour trust (辜负信任), falls short of the hopes placed in them (辜负父母的期望), or wastes an opportunity (辜负大好时光). More emotive and weighted than simply 失败 (to fail). Often appears in formal rhetoric, heartfelt personal expression, and motivational contexts.

Examples

1. 父母为他的教育倾尽全力，他发誓绝不辜负他们多年的期望和心血。 His parents poured everything into his education, and he swore he would never let down their years of expectations and sacrifice.
2. 这批年轻的科研人员深知肩负重任，立志不辜负国家的培养和人民的厚望。 These young researchers know they carry a heavy responsibility and are determined not to fail the country’s investment in them or the people’s high hopes.
3. 她坚持认为，选择一份自己热爱的事业，才是不辜负有限生命的最好方式。 She insists that choosing a career you truly love is the best way to make the most of a finite life.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, ethics, motivation, personal responsibility, formal rhetoric

Tone: earnest

Do Say

• 无论前路多么艰难，我们都要奋勇前行，绝不辜负前辈们用心血换来的和平年代。(No matter how arduous the road ahead, we must forge on courageously, never letting down the peaceful era that our predecessors won through sacrifice.)
• 作为公司委以重任的项目负责人，他深感责任重大，始终不敢有丝毫懈怠，唯恐辜负同事们对他的信任。(As the project leader entrusted with important responsibilities, he felt the weight of his duties deeply and never dared to relax, for fear of letting down the trust placed in him by his colleagues.)

Don't Say

• 将'辜负'用于描述物理损坏或失去某物 — 辜负 specifically refers to failing to live up to human trust, expectation, or kindness; for wasting a material resource use 浪费 and for missing an opportunity use 错过

Origin & History

辜 (guilt; sin; to be at fault) + 负 (to carry on the back; to bear; to owe a debt). Together: to be guilty of owing a debt — to fail to repay trust or expectation.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal