Definition

1. Verb:
   • To endure silently, to suppress (one's feelings, reactions, or pain): To consciously and quietly bear a difficult emotion, physical sensation, or impulse without letting it show outwardly.
   • To reckon to oneself, to calculate internally: To make a private mental calculation or assessment without verbalizing it.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy bấm bụng chịu đau. (He silently endured the pain.)
  • Cô ấy phải bấm bụng giữ cho khỏi bật cười. (She had to suppress herself to keep from laughing out loud.)
  • Tôi bấm bụng biết món tiền ấy vẫn còn thừa. (I reckoned to myself that the sum of money was still more than enough.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies a degree of stoicism or resignation, where one accepts an unpleasant situation without complaint or visible reaction.
• It can be used in both physical contexts (enduring pain) and emotional/social contexts (suppressing laughter, anger, or disappointment).

Variants and Related Words

• Nín nhịn (v): to hold back, to restrain oneself. This is a close synonym but lacks the specific nuance of internal, silent calculation present in "bấm bụng".
• Kìm nén (v): to suppress, to repress (often used for emotions).

Synonyms

• To bear silently: To endure something without expressing it.
• To suppress: To consciously prevent a feeling or reaction from being shown.
• To stomach: To tolerate or endure something unpleasant (informal).

Related Idioms

• Bấm bụng chịu đựng: To grit one's teeth and bear it. This emphasizes the aspect of forced endurance.
  • Không có lựa chọn nào khác, anh ta chỉ còn cách bấm bụng chịu đựng. (With no other choice, he could only grit his teeth and bear it.)

verb

1. To endure silently, to suppress
   • bấm bụng chịu đau
     to endure a pain silently
   • bấm bụng giữ cho khỏi bật cười
     to suppress one's laughter
2. To reckon to oneself
   • bấm bụng biết món tiền ấy vẫn còn thừa
     to reckon to oneself that sum of money was more than enough