问心有愧 Wèn xīn yǒu kuì to have a guilty conscience

Explanation

指做了对不起人的事，心里感到不安。

To feel guilty about something one has done.

Origin Story

从小在山村长大的小明，性格淳朴善良。一次，他进城打工，在工地上捡到一个钱包，里面装着厚厚的一沓钞票和一张身份证。小明看着钱包，心里充满了矛盾。他知道，这是别人的血汗钱，拿了就是昧着良心，问心有愧。可是，他每月微薄的工资，根本不够家用，家里的老母亲还等着他寄钱回去治病呢。他犹豫再三，最终还是决定把钱包交给工地的负责人。当他把钱包交给负责人的那一刻，心里一块石头落了地，虽然生活依然拮据，但他问心无愧，坦然面对生活的挑战。

cóng xiǎo zài shāncūn zhǎng dà de xiǎo míng, xìnggé chúnpǔ shànliáng. yī cì, tā jìn chéng dǎgōng, zài gōngdì shang jiǎn dào yīgè qiánbāo, lǐmiàn zhuāngzhe hòuhòu de yī dà chāopiào hé yī zhāng shēnfènzhèng. xiǎo míng kànzhe qiánbāo, xīn lǐ chōngmǎn le máodùn. tā zhīdào, zhè shì biérén de xuèhàn qián, ná le jiùshì mèizhe liángxīn, wèn xīn yǒu kuì. kěshì, tā měi yuè wēibó de gōngzī, gēnběn bùgòu jiāyòng, jiā lǐ de lǎo mǔqīn hái děngzhe tā jì qián huí qù zhì bìng ne. tā yóuyù zàisān, zuìzhōng háishì juédìng bǎ qiánbāo jiāo gěi gōngdì de fùzé rén. dāng tā bǎ qiánbāo jiāo gěi fùzé rén de nà yī kè, xīn lǐ yī kuài shítou luò le dì, suīrán shēnghuó yīrán jiéjū, dàn tā wèn xīn wú kuì, tǎnrán miànduì shēnghuó de tiǎozhàn.

Ming, who grew up in a mountain village, had a simple and kind nature. One time, he went to the city to work and found a wallet on a construction site. Inside, there was a thick stack of cash and an ID card. Ming looked at the wallet, his heart filled with conflict. He knew that this was someone else's hard-earned money; taking it would be dishonest, making his conscience uneasy. However, his meager monthly salary wasn't enough to support his family, and his old mother was waiting for him to send money home for her medical treatment. After much deliberation, he finally decided to hand the wallet to the construction site manager. The moment he handed over the wallet, a weight was lifted off his chest. Although life remained tight, he had a clear conscience, calmly facing the challenges of life.

Usage

用于形容做了亏心事后，内心感到不安、悔恨。

yòng yú xiáoróng zuò le kuī xīn shì hòu, nèixīn gǎndào bù'ān, huǐhèn

Used to describe the feeling of guilt and remorse after doing something wrong.

Examples

  • 他做了亏心事，问心有愧，脸上露出了不安的神色。

    tā zuò le kuī xīn shì, wèn xīn yǒu kuì, liǎn shang lù chū le bù'ān de shén sè

    He did something wrong and felt guilty, showing unease on his face.

  • 考试作弊被发现后，他问心有愧，后悔莫及。

    kǎoshì zuòbì bèi fāxiàn hòu, tā wèn xīn yǒu kuì, hòuhuǐ mòjí

    After being caught cheating on the exam, he felt guilty and regretted it deeply.

  • 明知理亏，他却强词夺理，问心有愧，终究逃不过良心的谴责。

    míng zhī lǐ kuī, tā què qiángcíduólǐ, wèn xīn yǒu kuì, zhōngjiū táobùguò liángxīn de qiǎnzé

    Knowing he was in the wrong, he still argued stubbornly, but he felt guilty and could not escape the condemnation of his conscience

Related Idioms

  • 内疚

  • 惭愧

  • 后悔

Opposite Idioms

  • 问心无愧

  • 心安理得