Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 坦白 | tǎnbái |
| 承認 / 承认 | chéngrèn |
| 懺悔 / 忏悔 | chànhuǐ |
| 供認 / 供认 | gòngrèn |
| 招認 / 招认 | zhāorèn |
| 招供 | zhāogòng |
The choice of word for 'confess' depends heavily on whether you are admitting a mistake, revealing a crime or expressing a feeling. While 承认 is a general way to acknowledge facts or errors, other forms are specialized for legal, religious or romantic contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The characters in 坦白 literally mean 'open' and 'white/clear', which implies a state of being transparent and having no hidden motives.
Which one should you use?
The various forms of 'confess' are distinguished by their specific application:
– 承认 is neutral and used for general admissions of facts or mistakes. – 坦白 emphasizes being frank, honest and not hiding anything about a situation or feeling. – 忏悔 is used for religious or deep moral confession and repentance. – 招供 is used specifically when a criminal or suspect gives up information or admits to a crime, often under pressure. – 供认 is a formal legal term for a suspect admitting to a crime in an official statement. – 招认 is used in police or judicial contexts when a person admits to a specific wrongdoing.
How do you pronounce it?
tǎnbái
Did you know?
- In romantic contexts, a 'confession' of love is called 告白, which literally means 'to announce' or 'to state' rather than 'to admit'.
- The word 懺悔 is a linguistic hybrid, combining a sound translated from the Sanskrit word 'kṣamā' for 'pardon' with the native Chinese word for 'regret'.
- While 坦白 means 'confess', it is also used as an adjective to describe a person's personality as 'forthright' or 'straightforward'.
Examples in context
- 再折磨他也没用，他不会招供的。There's no point in torturing him, he isn't going to confess.This sentence shows the use of 招供 in a context involving interrogation.Tatoeba #1788023 by sadhen, translation #4451724 by XenoKat
- 我必须坦白，我爱你。I must confess, I love you.
- 我承认我犯了一个错误。I confess that I made a mistake.
- 我终于鼓起勇气向她告白。I finally gathered the courage to confess my feelings to her.
- 你还是快点坦白吧。Nǐ háishì kuàidiǎn tǎnbái ba.You should just confess quickly.
- 他终于坦白了事情的真相。Tā zhōngyú tǎnbái le shìqing de zhēnxiàng.He finally confessed the truth of the matter.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a broken vase.
- 浩然 Haoran谁打破了那个花瓶？Shéi dǎpò le nàge huāpíng?Who broke that vase?
- 欣怡 Xinyi好吧，我坦白，是我做的。Hǎo ba, wǒ tǎnbái, shì wǒ zuò de.Okay, I confess, I did it.
- 浩然 Haoran为什么不早点告诉我？Wèishéme bù zǎodiǎn gàosù wǒ?Why didn't you tell me sooner?
- 欣怡 Xinyi因为我太害怕了。Yīnwèi wǒ tài hàipà le.Because I was too scared.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “confess” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 懺悔, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
