发誓
fāshì
To swears in Chinese is 发誓 (fāshì).
发誓 is used to describe making a solemn promise to oneself or to others. It is also used when one is swearing an oath within a formal or legal context.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 发 (fā), meaning 'to issue' or 'to send out' and 誓 (shì), meaning 'oath' or 'vow'. Together, they literally mean 'to issue an oath'.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish 发誓 from 咒骂 (zhùmà). While 发誓 refers to making a solemn vow or promise, 咒骂 refers to using profanity or swearing at someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to express that someone swore a certain statement, such as 'he swore that…', you can use the construction 发誓说 (fāshì shuō), which literally means 'swore and said'.
How do you pronounce it?
fāshì
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 发誓 when you mean to use profanity or to curse at someone. In those cases, use 咒骂 instead.
Did you know?
- In historical Chinese dramas, characters often 发誓 (fāshì) by cutting their finger and letting a drop of blood fall, a ritual known as 'blood oath'.
- In many traditional belief systems, a broken 发誓 (fāshì) is not just a social mistake but a spiritual one. It is believed that breaking such a solemn oath can bring bad luck to one's entire family.
- In Chinese, the word for 'swearing' as in profanity, 咒骂, is built from the characters for 'curse' and 'scold'. This linguistic separation ensures you never accidentally promise to tell the truth when you actually mean to insult someone.
Examples in context
- 他对我发誓，绝对不会撒谎。Tā duì wǒ fāshì, juéduì bù huì sāhuǎng.He swears to me that he will never lie.
- 我向你发誓，我会尽力而为。Wǒ xiàng nǐ fāshì, wǒ huì jìnlì ér wéi.I swear to you, I will do my best.
Example conversation
Junjie is promising Zihan that he didn't eat her cake.
- 俊杰 Junjie梓涵，我真的没有吃你的蛋糕。Zǐhán, wǒ zhēnde méiyǒu chī nǐ de dàngāo.Zihan, I really didn't eat your cake.
- 梓涵 Zihan你怎么证明你没说谎？nǐ zěnme zhèngmíng nǐ méi shuōhuǎng?How can you prove you aren't lying?
- 俊杰 Junjie我发誓我绝对没有碰过它！wǒ fāshì wǒ juéduì méiyǒu pèng guò tā!I swear I absolutely haven't touched it!
- 梓涵 Zihan好吧，这次我相信俊杰。hǎo ba, zhè cì wǒ xiāngxìn Jùnjié.Alright, I believe Junjie this time.
