Bić się w piersi
Listen
What it means
Literally “to beat oneself on the chest.” Means to express remorse, to publicly admit guilt or fault — to beat one’s breast in contrition.
Vocabulary
- bić się — to beat oneself
- pierś — chest / breast
Grammar note
'W piersi' uses the accusative of 'pierś' after 'w' — indicating the target of the action. The reflexive 'się' makes it self-directed.
Cultural context
A gesture with roots in Catholic penitential practice — striking the chest while saying 'mea culpa.' Still used both literally (in religious contexts) and figuratively.
Intermediate
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish idioms
- Literally "one's whole life flew past before the eyes," this phrase describes the vivid, involuntary …
- Literally "for an example," na przykład is the standard Polish phrase for "for example" or "for …
- Literally "in the last/recent times," ostatnimi czasy is a common temporal phrase meaning "lately," …
- Literally "in the manner of Judas," this adverb describes acting in a treacherous, backstabbing way …