About
The character 悔, meaning "to regret" or "remorse", is structured with a semantic component on the left and a phonetic component on the right. Its traditional form is identical, composed of the heart/mind radical (忄) indicating a psychological state, combined with 每 which historically provided phonetic indication. The original sense of the character was closer to "troubled in mind" or "discontent", which over time narrowed and specialized to convey the specific feeling of looking back on one's actions with sorrow or repentance. The phonetic element 每 also carries a connotation of "each" or "every", possibly suggesting a pervasive or recurring nature of this mental state.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我后悔买这本书。
他现在非常后悔。
后悔是没用的。
我悔不该对他撒谎。
她的悔恨之情难以形容。
年轻时做的决定让他终生悔恨。
他悔过自新，赢得了大家的原谅。
历史不容篡改，悔罪才能得到宽恕。