辜负

辜負

gūfù

verb HSK 7-9 #9,208

Meanings

不要辜负父母的期望。

Bùyào gūfù fùmǔ de qīwàng.

Don't let your parents' expectations down.

他辜负了老师对他的信任。

Tā gūfù le lǎoshī duì tā de xìnrèn.

He betrayed his teacher's trust in him.

usage

辜负 is used with abstract objects like 期望 (expectations), 信任 (trust), 好意 (good intentions), or 青春 (youth). It cannot be used with people directly.

memory

辜 (crime/guilt) + 负 (to bear/betray) = to bear the guilt of letting someone down.

辜 gū

负 fù