Definition

1. Adverb:
   • In person, personally: Indicates that an action is performed by the person themself, directly and without an intermediary, often to emphasize the importance, sincerity, or direct involvement of the subject.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Giám đốc đích thân đến kiểm tra dự án. (The director personally came to inspect the project.)
  • Cô ấy đích thân viết thư cảm ơn. (She wrote the thank-you letter in person.)
  • Để đảm bảo chất lượng, ông chủ đích thân nấu món này. (To ensure quality, the owner cooks this dish himself.)

Advanced Usage

• "đích thân + Verb": This is the standard structure, placing "đích thân" directly before the verb it modifies to stress the subject's direct action.
  • Chủ tịch nước sẽ đích thân tham dự hội nghị. (The President will attend the conference in person.)
• Used to convey authority, responsibility, or special attention from a high-ranking or relevant individual.
  • Vụ án quan trọng đến mức viện trưởng đích thân xét xử. (The case was so important that the chief justice presided over the trial personally.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thân hành (adverb): A more formal/literary synonym meaning to go or act in person.
  • Ngài đại sứ thân hành đến chúc mừng. (The ambassador personally came to offer congratulations.)
• Trực tiếp (adverb): Directly. While similar, "trực tiếp" is broader and can refer to methods (e.g., direct broadcast) and does not inherently carry the nuance of a specific person's direct involvement like "đích thân" does.
  • Anh ấy trực tiếp quản lý đội. (He manages the team directly.)

Synonyms

• Tự tay (adverb): With one's own hands. Emphasizes manual, physical action by the subject.
  • Bà nội tự tay may chiếc áo. (The grandmother sewed the shirt with her own hands.)
• Tự mình (adverb): By oneself. Focuses on doing something alone or independently.
  • Cậu bé tự mình hoàn thành bài tập. (The boy completed the homework by himself.)

Related Phrases

• Đích danh (adverb): By name, specifically named. Often confused with "đích thân," but it refers to precise identification, not personal action.
  • Thầy giáo gọi đích danh từng học sinh. (The teacher called each student by name.)

Related Idioms

• Mặt đối mặt (phrase): Face-to-face. Describes a direct meeting between people, which can be a context where someone acts "đích thân."
  • Hai lãnh đạo thảo luận mặt đối mặt. (The two leaders discussed face-to-face.)

1. In person
   • Đích thân Tổng tư lệnh đi thăm mặt trận
     The commander-in-chief visited the front in person