Definition

1. Noun:
   • Favor; grace; kindness: "Ân" refers to a kind or helpful act, a benefit bestowed upon someone, often creating a sense of moral debt or gratitude in the recipient. It implies a benevolent action that is not obligatory.
   • Gratitude; indebtedness: "Ân" can also represent the feeling or state of being grateful for a favor received, or the debt of gratitude itself.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ngài ấy đã thi ân cho gia đình tôi. (He bestowed a favor upon my family.)
  • Ân này tôi xin khắc cốt ghi tâm. (I will engrave this kindness in my bones and remember it in my heart—meaning I will never forget this debt of gratitude.)
  • Làm việc đó là trả ân cho thầy. (Doing that is to repay the teacher's kindness.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ân sủng": Divine grace or blessing (a compound word where "ân" is a component, meaning grace).
  • Họ tin vào ân sủng của Chúa. (They believe in God's grace.)
• "Ân xá": To pardon or amnesty (a compound word where "ân" is a component).
  • Vị vua đã ân xá cho tù nhân. (The king granted amnesty to the prisoners.)
• "Ân huệ": Favor, benefaction (a compound word closely related in meaning).
  • Ông ấy ban nhiều ân huệ cho dân làng. (He granted many favors to the villagers.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ơn (n): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "ân" in many contexts to mean "favor" or "grace." "Ơn" can sometimes sound slightly less formal.
  • Tôi mang ơn người đó. (I am indebted to that person.)
• Ân nhân (n): Benefactor; patron.
  • Ông ấy là ân nhân của tôi. (He is my benefactor.)
• Báo ân (v): To repay a kindness.
  • Con cái phải biết báo ân cha mẹ. (Children must know how to repay their parents' kindness.)

Synonyms

• Ơn: Favor, grace.
• Nghĩa: Righteousness, obligation (often used in conjunction with "ân" as in "ân nghĩa").
• Hậu ý: Goodwill, kindness (focuses more on the benevolent intention).

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Ân nghĩa: Kindness and righteousness; refers to deep bonds of gratitude and moral obligation.
  • Sống phải có ân nghĩa. (One must live with gratitude and righteousness.)
• Ân tình: Kindness and sentiment; refers to affectionate kindness within a relationship.
  • Ân tình thầy trọ. (The deep kindness between teacher and student.)
• Làm ơn / Thi ân: To do a favor; to bestow kindness.
  • Xin ngài làm ơn giúp tôi. (Please, sir, do me a favor.)

Related Idioms

• Ân sâu nghĩa nặng: Deep favor and heavy obligation; describes an immense, unforgettable debt of gratitude.
  • Cha mẹ có ân sâu nghĩa nặng với con cái. (Parents have a profound debt of kindness and obligation to their children.)
• Ăn cháo đá bát: Literally "to eat the porridge and kick the bowl"; means to be ungrateful, to betray a benefactor after receiving help. This is an antonymic concept related to lacking "ân."
  • Hắn là kẻ ăn cháo đá bát. (He is an ungrateful person who bites the hand that feeds him.)
• Uống nước nhớ nguồn: Literally "when drinking water, remember its source"; means to be grateful to one's origins and benefactors. This idiom embodies the spirit of remembering "ân."
  • Chúng ta phải biết uống nước nhớ nguồn. (We must remember the source when drinking water—we must be grateful.)

noun

1. favour; grace
   • thi ân cho ai
     to do someone a favor