Definition

1. Verb:
   • To return thanks; to render thanks: To express gratitude or repay a kindness, favor, or debt of gratitude received from someone else. It implies a sense of moral obligation to reciprocate goodness.
   • To repay a favor; to require: To perform an action that adequately compensates for a benefit or help one has received.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy luôn tìm cách báo ơn những người đã giúp đỡ mình. (He always seeks ways to return thanks to those who have helped him.)
  • Cô ấy báo ơn ân nhân bằng cả tấm lòng chân thành. (She rendered thanks to her benefactor with all her sincere heart.)
  • Làm việc tốt không phải để mong được báo ơn. (Doing good deeds is not about expecting to have the favor returned.)

Advanced Usage

• "Mong được báo ơn": To hope for or expect gratitude in return for a favor.

  • Ông ta giúp đỡ người khác mà không hề mong được báo ơn. (He helps others without ever hoping for thanks in return.)

• "Ân đền, oán trả" / "Báo ơn, trả oán": An idiom-like pairing meaning "repay kindness, require resentment," describing the concept of reciprocating both good and bad deeds.

  • Câu chuyện xoay quanh chủ đề ân đền oán trả. (The story revolves around the theme of repaying kindness and requiring resentment.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đền ơn (verb): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "báo ơn," meaning to repay a debt of gratitude.

  • Anh ta đã đền ơn bằng cách chăm sóc người bạn già. (He repaid the kindness by taking care of his old friend.)

• Báo đáp (verb): To repay or require (often used for kindness or upbringing). It can have a broader sense of repayment.

  • Báo đáp công ơn sinh thành. (To repay the debt of gratitude for one's upbringing.)

• Trả ơn (verb): To return a favor; to pay back a kindness.

  • Tôi không biết làm sao để trả ơn anh. (I don't know how to repay you.)

Synonyms

• Return a favor: To do something helpful for someone who has helped you.
• Repay a debt of gratitude: To do something to show gratitude for a past kindness.
• Requite (formal): To make appropriate return for (a kindness, injury, etc.).

Related Phrases

• Báo ơn đáp nghĩa: A four-character idiom meaning to require kindness and reciprocate righteousness, emphasizing the full and proper repayment of moral debts.
  • Con người sống phải biết báo ơn đáp nghĩa. (In life, one must know how to require kindness and reciprocate righteousness.)

Related Idioms

• "Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây": Literally "When eating the fruit, remember the planter." This idiom teaches the moral lesson of gratitude and "báo ơn," reminding people to be thankful to their benefactors.

  • Câu tục ngữ "Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây" dạy chúng ta phải biết báo ơn. (The proverb "When eating the fruit, remember the planter" teaches us to know how to return thanks.)

• "Uống nước nhớ nguồn": Literally "When drinking water, remember its source." Similar to the above, it emphasizes remembering and repaying one's origins and those who have helped.

  • Truyền thống "uống nước nhớ nguồn" là một biểu hiện của lòng biết ơn và báo ơn. (The tradition of "remembering the source when drinking water" is a manifestation of gratitude and returning thanks.)

verb

1. to return thanks; to render thanks