dào qiàn
apology
我向你道歉，我错了。
wǒ xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn, wǒ cuòle.
I apologize to you, I was wrong.
他拒绝了我的道歉。
tā jùjuéle wǒ de dàoqiàn.
He rejected my apology.
我们应该互相道歉。
wǒmen yīnggāi hùxiāng dàoqiàn.
We should apologize to each other.
赔罪 (péi zuì)
apologize
认错 (rèn cuò)
admit one's mistake
指责 (zhǐzé)
accuse
批评 (pīpíng)
criticize
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The Chinese word 道歉 (dàoqiàn) for "apologize" is composed of two characters: 道 (dào) and 歉 (qiàn). 道 originally meant "road" or "path," but it has also been used figuratively to refer to "reason," "principle," or "morality." 歉 literally means "lacking" or "deficient," but it is often used in a figurative sense to mean "regret" or "apology." Thus, the compound word 道歉 literally means "to express regret for a lack of reason or morality," which is a fitting way to describe the act of apologizing.
