Definition

1. Adjective (feeling):
   • To be affected / to be moved: To experience a sudden, gentle stirring of emotion, often sadness, nostalgia, pity, or sympathy, triggered by a sight, sound, memory, or remark.
   • To feel slighted / to take something personally: To feel hurt or offended, often unintentionally, by someone's words or actions, interpreting them as a personal criticism or slight.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (emotionally moved):

  • Nghe câu chuyện của cô ấy, tôi thật sự chạnh lòng. (Listening to her story, I was truly moved/affected.)
  • Nhìn cảnh gia đình sum họp, anh ấy chạnh lòng nhớ về quê hương. (Seeing the family reunion, he was moved with nostalgia for his homeland.)

• Adjective (feeling slighted):

  • Anh ấy rất dễ chạnh lòng, đừng nói đùa quá lời. (He is very easily offended, don't joke too harshly.)
  • Cô ấy chạnh lòng vì câu bình luận vô tình của đồng nghiệp. (She felt slighted by her colleague's casual comment.)

Advanced Usage

• The feeling of is typically inward, reflective, and melancholic, rather than a strong, overwhelming emotion. It describes a tender spot in one's heart being touched.
• It often appears in poetic or literary contexts to describe a poignant moment of remembrance or empathy.

Variants and Related Words

• Động lòng (v/phr): to be moved, to be touched (emotionally). This is a close synonym for the first meaning.
  • Cảnh tượng ấy khiến ai nấy đều động lòng thương. (That scene moved everyone to pity.)

Synonyms

• Moved/Touched: affected by emotion.
• Slighted/Offended: feeling hurt by a perceived disrespect.
• Melancholic: characterized by a gentle, thoughtful sadness.

Related Idioms

• Chạnh lòng thương: to be moved to pity/compassion.
  • Nhìn thấy đứa trẻ mồ côi, bà cụ chạnh lòng thương. (Seeing the orphaned child, the old woman was moved to compassion.)

1. (To be) affected, (to be) moved