羞愧

• Pinyin: xiū kuì
• Hanzi breakdown: 羞 = 羊 + 丑 (shame/embarrassment); 愧 = 忄 + 鬼 (guilt/remorse)

Meaning

Ashamed and remorseful; feeling deep shame and guilt over one's actions or failures.

Combines shame (羞) with guilt (愧). Stronger than simple embarrassment — implies a moral dimension where one recognises having fallen short of expected standards. Common in literary and formal speech.

Examples

1. 他听到父母为自己所受的委屈，心中涌起一阵难以压抑的羞愧，当场红了眼眶。 Hearing about the unfair treatment his parents had endured, he was overwhelmed with shame and his eyes immediately welled up.
2. 面对同学们信任的目光，她因自己的失职感到无比羞愧，当众向大家道歉并承担责任。 Facing her classmates’ trusting eyes, she felt deeply ashamed of her negligence and apologized publicly, taking responsibility.
3. 将军回顾失利的战役，深感羞愧难当，当即向上级请罪，表示愿意承担一切后果。 Looking back on the failed campaign, the general felt ashamed beyond words and immediately asked his superiors for punishment, saying he was willing to bear all the consequences.

Usage Guide

Context: emotion, morality, apology, literature

Tone: negative/reflective

Do Say

• 他深感羞愧，主动找到受害者当面致歉，并承诺竭尽所能弥补自己造成的损失。(Feeling deep shame and remorse, he proactively sought out the victim to apologise in person and promised to do everything possible to make amends.)
• 看到老人艰难地爬上台阶而无人相助，她感到一阵羞愧，赶紧上前搀扶。(Seeing the elderly person struggling up the steps with no one to help, she felt a pang of shame and quickly stepped forward to assist.)

Don't Say

• 对天气感到羞愧 — 羞愧 requires a moral dimension involving one's own actions or failures; for general discomfort use 不舒服 or 不满; one cannot feel moral shame over natural events

Origin & History

羞 (shame/embarrassment) + 愧 (guilt/remorse) — shame combined with moral guilt

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal