认错 (rèn cuò) — Chinese Word

verb HSK 4

Traditional 認錯

rèn cuò

to admit a mistake · to apologize · to acknowledge an error

Meaning

认错 means to admit that you made a mistake or were wrong about something. It combines 认 (to recognize, admit) and 错 (wrong, mistake). This word is commonly used when someone takes responsibility for their actions or words and acknowledges fault.

Usage

认错 is frequently used in social and personal contexts when someone needs to apologize or take responsibility. It's more formal than simply saying 对不起 (sorry) because it explicitly acknowledges wrongdoing. Often used with 向 (xiàng) to indicate to whom you're admitting the mistake, as in 向某人认错.

Examples

01
他主动向老师认错了。
Tā zhǔ dòng xiàng lǎo shī rèn cuò le.
He voluntarily admitted his mistake to the teacher.
02
做错了事就要勇于认错。
Zuò cuò le shì jiù yào yǒng yú rèn cuò.
When you do something wrong, you should be brave enough to admit it.

Characters

Common collocations

向...认错
xiàng ... rèn cuò
to admit a mistake to someone
主动认错
zhǔ dòng rèn cuò
to voluntarily admit a mistake
勇于认错
yǒng yú rèn cuò
to be brave enough to admit mistakes
拒不认错
jù bù rèn cuò
to refuse to admit a mistake

Antonyms

Origin

The word combines two straightforward characters: 认 originally meant 'to recognize' or 'to know,' and 错 means 'wrong' or 'mistake.' Together they literally mean 'to recognize wrongness,' naturally evolving to mean admitting fault.