歉

qiàn

兼 + 欠

Definitions

qiàn (verb) to apologize; to feel sorry

qiàn (adjective) insufficient; deficient

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 欠 represents the meaning and 兼 represents the sound.

Semantic: 欠 Phonetic: 兼

About

歉 is a phono-semantic compound: the right-side component 欠 (lack, deficiency) gives the meaning, while the left-side component 兼 provides the sound. Originally, the character referred to a poor harvest or famine, directly expressing insufficiency. Over time, this sense of material lack shifted to an emotional or moral deficit, and 歉 came to mean regret, remorse, and the acknowledgment of fault. Today it is used almost exclusively to express apology or sorrow for an offense, detached from its agricultural origins.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我向你道歉。

Wǒ xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn.

I apologize to you.

他感到非常抱歉。

Tā gǎndào fēicháng bàoqiàn.

He feels very sorry.

请接受我的歉意。

Qǐng jiēshòu wǒ de qiànyì.

Please accept my apology.

我对此深表歉意。

Wǒ duì cǐ shēn biǎo qiànyì.

I deeply apologize for this.

他因错误而道歉。

Tā yīn cuòwù ér dàoqiàn.

He apologized for the mistake.

她满怀歉疚地离开了。

Tā mǎn huái qiànjiù de líkāi le.

She left filled with remorse.

对于我的疏忽，我谨致歉意。

Duìyú wǒ de shūhū, wǒ jǐn zhì qiànyì.

For my negligence, I sincerely offer my apologies.

尽管他已道歉，但受害者仍未释怀。

Jǐnguǎn tā yǐ dàoqiàn, dàn shòuhàizhě réng wèi shìhuái.

Although he has apologized, the victim still hasn't let it go.

Related Characters

Component: 兼

Component: 欠

歉