赔不是 (péi bú) — to apologize (often by admitting one's fault)

Definition

赔不是 (péi bú) is a separable verb-object compound meaning 'to apologize' — to acknowledge one's fault and ask forgiveness. The verb 赔 implies compensating for a wrong, and 不是 means 'fault' or 'blame'. As a 离合词 (separable verb), it can split: you insert particles or measure words between 赔 and 不是, e.g., 赔个不是 ('make an apology') or 赔了不是 ('offered an apology'). It's more polite and formal than 道歉 (dàoqiàn).

v.o.

to apologize (often by admitting one's fault)

Examples

赔不是。
Nǐ kuài diǎn qù gěi tā péi bú ba.
Hurry up and go apologize to him.
，。
Tā zuò cuò le shì, bìxū péi gè búshì.
He did something wrong and must make an apology.
赔不是，。
Tā yǐjīng gēn wǒ péi bú le, wǒ jiù yuánliàng tā le.
She already apologized to me, so I forgave her.

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