guilty conscience; feelings of remorse
A formal, somewhat literary expression for a strong sense of self-blame or remorse, often used in serious contexts.
Driven by a guilty conscience, he turned himself in.
After the accident, she was tormented by feelings of remorse.
Compound of 自責 (self-blame) and 念 (thought, feeling). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the expression is conventionally associated with a deep sense of personal remorse.