责怪

• Pinyin: zé guài
• Hanzi breakdown: 责 = 主 + 贝 (responsibility); 怪 = 忄 + 圣 (strange/blame)

Meaning

To blame; to find fault with; to hold responsible. To express displeasure about someone's mistake or wrongdoing.

Similar to 责备 but slightly more informal and emotional. Often implies that the blame may be excessive or unfair. Common in everyday speech for assigning fault: 不要责怪自己 (don't blame yourself).

Examples

1. 事情已经发生，责怪谁都于事无补，不如想想解决办法。 What’s done is done—blaming anyone won’t help. It’s better to think about how to solve it.
2. 他总是责怪别人，从不承认自己的错误。 He’s always blaming others and never admits his own mistakes.
3. 她责怪自己当初没有听从父母的劝告。 She blamed herself for not listening to her parents’ advice back then.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, relationships, self-reflection

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 失败了不要一味责怪运气，要从自身找原因。(When you fail, don't just blame bad luck — look for the cause within yourself.)
• 她虽然心里责怪他迟到，但嘴上并没有说什么。(Although she blamed him in her heart for being late, she didn't say anything.)

Don't Say

• 责怪这个问题 — 责怪 targets people, not problems; use 归咎于 for attributing blame to causes

Origin & History

责 (to blame) + 怪 (strange/to blame)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal