The Chinese word 认错 (rèncuò), meaning "to admit a mistake" or "to apologize", is a compound verb formed by combining two distinct characters: 认 (rèn), which means "to recognize", "to admit", or "to acknowledge", and 错 (cuò), which means "mistake", "error", or "fault". The formation follows a common grammatical structure in Chinese where a verb (认) is directly paired with its object (错) to create a new, specific verbal phrase. In this case, the literal action of "admitting" is directed precisely at the object "a mistake", resulting in the integrated meaning of confessing to being at fault. This type of word formation, known as a verb-object compound, is highly productive in the language and allows for clear and efficient expression of complex actions.