对得起／对不起 duì de qǐ／duì bu qǐ
对得起／对不起（duì de qǐ／duì bu qǐ）means “to be worthy of / do right by sb, or to fail / let sb down (in conscience)”. '对得起' means to be worthy of someone and have a clear conscience toward them, while '对不起' means to have wronged or let someone down. Formation: 对得起／对不起（固定短语，后接人）
to be worthy of / do right by sb, or to fail / let sb down (in conscience)
HSK5Formation
对得起／对不起（固定短语，后接人）
Explanation
'对得起' means to be worthy of someone and have a clear conscience toward them, while '对不起' means to have wronged or let someone down. As a set phrase '对不起' is also the everyday word for 'sorry'. The focus here is the conscience sense: living up to what someone deserves.
Examples
Note
As a fixed phrase 对不起 also means 'sorry'; context tells which sense. ✅ 对得起父母 (do right by one's parents)
FAQ
对得起／对不起 — what does it mean and how is it used?
to be worthy of / do right by sb, or to fail / let sb down (in conscience). '对得起' means to be worthy of someone and have a clear conscience toward them, while '对不起' means to have wronged or let someone down. As a set phrase '对不起' is also the everyday word for 'sorry'. The focus here is the conscience sense: living up to what someone deserves.
对得起／对不起 — how do you form it?
对得起／对不起（固定短语，后接人）
对得起／对不起 — any usage notes?
As a fixed phrase 对不起 also means 'sorry'; context tells which sense. ✅ 对得起父母 (do right by one's parents)