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負荊請罪

简负荆请罪 · 繁負荊請罪

Mandarin · pinyin fù jīng qǐng zuì

lit. to bring a bramble and ask for punishment (idiom)
fig. to offer sb a humble apology

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Characters in this entry

負: Look up this written character
荊: Look up this written character
請: qǐng · ask, request; invite; please
罪: zuì · crime, sin, vice; evil; hardship
负: fù · load, burden; carry, bear
荆: jīng · thorns; brambles; my wife; cane
请: qǐng · ask, request; invite; please

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–1–3–4 · fu4 jing1 qing3 zui4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

負荊請罪 · find source passages ↗ · 负荆请罪 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fu6 ging1 cing2 zeoi6

Cantonese word readings for 負荊請罪. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to offer someone a humble apology, requesting punishment and forgiveness

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack