‘责怪’ is a compound verb meaning ‘to blame’ or ‘to reproach’ someone for a mistake, failure, or undesirable behavior. It combines two characters: 责 (zé), which means ‘to hold responsible’ or ‘to demand accountability’, and 怪 (guài), which means ‘to regard as strange or at fault’ — together, they intensify the sense of assigning moral or practical responsibility. Unlike neutral terms like ‘point out’, 责怪 carries an emotional weight: it implies disapproval, disappointment, or mild anger, often in personal or close relationships.

This word is commonly used in spoken and written Chinese when expressing criticism that involves judgment or emotional reaction — for example, parents blaming children, friends confronting each other, or colleagues addressing errors. It is not typically used for formal, impersonal, or systemic accountability (where 责任 or 追究责任 would be more appropriate). While grammatically transitive, it usually takes a person or group as its object, and may appear with aspect particles like 了 or 过 to indicate completed action.