kwai1 sam1虧心亏心
Jyutpingkwai1 sam1
Yalekwāi sām
Definition
Feeling guilty or having a bad conscience because one's actions violate morality or right principles.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the internal psychological burden of having acted against one's own moral compass. It is almost exclusively used in the context of fearing exposure or retribution for a past misdeed. The term carries a strong sense of moral weight that distinguishes it from simply feeling embarrassed or regretful.
Examples
If you haven't done anything wrong, why are you so scared?
He lies all the time, isn't he afraid of feeling guilty?
Related words
Common phrases
to do something wrong or immoral
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with feeling sorry or apologetic, which is better expressed by 唔好意思. 虧心 implies a deeper sense of moral wrongdoing or betrayal of one's conscience rather than a minor social faux pas.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
