惭愧

慚愧

cánkuì

adjective HSK 7-9 #9,142

Meanings

1 ashamed; embarrassed
2 feeling guilty and inadequate

Characters

ashamed; guilty

Both characters mean ashamed - together they express deep shame from recognizing one's own shortcomings.

Examples

HSK 2

和他比起来，我真觉得惭愧。

Hé tā bǐ qǐlai, wǒ zhēn juéde cánkuì.

Compared with him, I really feel ashamed of myself.

HSK 3

我感到很惭愧，没有帮上忙。

Wǒ gǎndào hěn cánkuì, méiyǒu bāng shàng máng.

I feel ashamed that I wasn't able to help.

Tips

usage

惭愧 is a humble, self-directed shame - not the shame of being caught doing something wrong. It often appears in polite expressions: 惭愧惭愧 (how embarrassing) as a modest response to praise.

Stroke Order

惭 cán

愧 kuì