承认 means 'to admit' or 'to acknowledge'—often something true, factual, or uncomfortable that one had previously denied or avoided. The character 承 (chéng) conveys 'to accept', 'to undertake', or 'to bear', while 认 (rèn) means 'to recognize' or 'to identify'. Together, they form a compound verb expressing the mental and verbal act of accepting reality and declaring it openly. It's commonly used in contexts involving responsibility, truth, mistakes, feelings, or official recognition.

This verb is neutral-to-formal in register and appears frequently in both spoken and written Chinese—especially in discussions about personal accountability, legal matters, scientific facts, or emotional honesty. It often follows subjects like 我, 他, or the name of an organization, and can take direct objects (e.g., 错误, 事实, 感情) or be followed by clauses introduced by that (that...), expressed with 的事实 or clause + 了. It’s rarely used in casual slang or imperative forms.