Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 羞辱 | xiūrǔ |
| 羞恥 / 羞耻 | xiūchǐ |
| 恥辱 / 耻辱 | chǐrǔ |
The term 'shame' refers to an uncomfortable or painful feeling. To express the act of causing someone to feel shame, you can use the verb 對羞辱 / 对羞辱. For a more descriptive expression of a strong sense of shame or embarrassment, you can use the phrase 丢脸, which literally means 'lose face'.
What does it mean word for word?
In the form 羞辱, the character 羞 (xiū) carries the core meaning of being ashamed or feeling bashful/shy, while the character 辱 (rǔ) specifically refers to being insulted, humiliated or suffering disgrace.
Which one should you use?
羞辱 is more commonly used to describe the act of humiliating or insulting someone, whereas other forms focus more on the internal feeling of shame. Between the forms describing internal shame, 恥辱 / 耻辱 carries a heavier, more formal weight and is often used to describe a great dishonor or a stain on one's reputation compared to 羞恥 / 羞耻.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
xiūrǔ
Did you know?
- The character 羞 (xiū) originally depicted a person's hand covering their mouth, illustrating the physical gesture of hiding one's face in 'shame'.
- The term 恥辱 (chǐrǔ) is often used in historical contexts to describe national disgrace, such as the 'Century of Humiliation' which shapes much of modern Chinese identity.
- The concept of 丢脸 (diūliǎn) is so central that there are specific social strategies used to avoid it, such as using intermediaries to deliver bad news so neither party feels 'shame'.
Examples in context
- 我感到羞愧I feel shame
- 对不起，我感到惭愧Sorry, I feel shame
- 这次考试我丢脸了I have brought shame upon myself in this exam
- 他承受了巨大的羞辱。tā chéngshòule jùdà de xiūrǔ.He endured a great deal of shame.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a public argument.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你不用在意那些人的话。Nǐ bùyòng zàiyì nàxiē rén de huà.You don't need to care about what those people said.
- 雨婷 Yuting可是我觉得那是极大的羞辱。Kěshì wǒ juédé nà shì jí dà de xiūrǔ.But I feel that it was a great shame.
- 志强 Zhiqiang他们才是不对的人，雨婷。Tāmen cái shì bùduì de rén, Yǔtíng.They are the ones who are wrong, Yuting.
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢你安慰我，志强。Xièxiè nǐ ānwèi wǒ, Zhìqiáng.Thank you for comforting me, Zhiqiang.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shame” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
