Definition

1. Verb:
   • To confess one's fault or sin: To formally or solemnly acknowledge one's own wrongdoing, often in a religious, moral, or legal context. It implies an admission of guilt or transgression.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người đàn ông quỳ xuống cáo tội trước mặt linh mục. (The man knelt down to confess his sins before the priest.)
  • Trong phiên tòa, bị cáo đã đứng dậy cáo tội. (During the trial, the defendant stood up to confess his guilt.)
  • Cô ấy cảm thấy nhẹ nhõm sau khi cáo tội. (She felt relieved after confessing her fault.)

Advanced Usage

• The act of "cáo tội" often carries a connotation of repentance and seeking absolution or forgiveness, rather than merely stating a fact.

Variants and Related Words

• Cáo lỗi (v): to apologize, to say sorry. This focuses more on offering an apology rather than confessing a specific sin or crime.

  • Anh ấy đã gọi điện để cáo lỗi. (He called to apologize.)

• Thú tội (v): to plead guilty, to confess to a crime. This term is more strongly associated with legal admissions of criminal guilt.

  • Kẻ giết người cuối cùng đã thú tội. (The murderer finally confessed to the crime.)

• Xưng tội (v): (primarily religious) to confess one's sins, as in the Christian sacrament of confession.

  • Các tín hữu đi xưng tội mỗi tuần. (The faithful go to confession every week.)

Synonyms

• Confess: to admit or acknowledge a fault or crime.
• Admit guilt: to accept that one is responsible for a wrongdoing.

Related Idioms

• Cáo tội trước bàn thờ: To confess one's sins before the altar. This idiom emphasizes the solemnity and religious nature of the confession.
  • Để tìm lại sự thanh thản, anh ấy cáo tội trước bàn thờ. (To find peace again, he confessed his sins before the altar.)

verb

1. to recognize one's fault