对
不
起
About
The word "对不起" is formed by sequentially combining the characters 对 (facing), 不 (not), and 起 (rising), where 对 indicates direction toward someone, 否定ates the action, and 起 refers to rising or standing up; together they literally mean "not facing up to", originating from the concept of being unable to confront someone due to a fault, thus creating the apologetic meaning.
Example Sentences Hide
对不起，我迟到了。
对不起，我忘记了你的生日。
对于我的错误，我真心地说对不起。
让你这么担心，我感到非常对不起你。
即使现在说对不起，也无法弥补我造成的伤害。