Definition

1. Verb:
   • To hold back one's feelings/emotions: To restrain or suppress one's emotional reactions, especially strong feelings like sadness, anger, or excitement.
   • To contain oneself: To exercise self-control to prevent one's emotions from being outwardly expressed.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Trước cảnh tượng cảm động đó, tôi không thể cầm lòng được. (Faced with that moving scene, I couldn't hold back my feelings.)
  • Anh ấy cố gắng cầm lòng để không khóc trước mặt mọi người. (He tried to hold back his tears in front of everyone.)
  • Nghe tin buồn, bà cụ cầm lòng không đậu, nước mắt cứ rơi. (Upon hearing the sad news, the old lady couldn't contain herself, and tears just fell.)

Advanced Usage

• "cầm lòng không đậu" / "không cầm lòng được": To be unable to hold back one's feelings; to fail to contain one's emotions.
  • Thấy con khóc, người mẹ cầm lòng không đậu, liền chạy đến ôm lấy nó. (Seeing her child cry, the mother couldn't hold back and immediately ran to hug him.)
• Often used in negative constructions or to describe a failed attempt at emotional restraint.

Variants and Related Words

• Kìm lòng / Nén lòng: Synonyms meaning to suppress or hold back one's feelings.
  • Anh ấy phải kìm lòng trước những lời khiêu khích. (He had to restrain himself in the face of provocations.)
• Tự chủ: Self-control (a broader term for self-restraint, not limited to emotions).

Synonyms

• Restrain oneself: To stop oneself from doing something.
• Suppress one's emotions: To consciously prevent feelings from being shown.
• Keep one's composure: To remain calm and controlled.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a compound verb in Vietnamese, 'cầm lòng' functions as a single unit. It is not typically separated like English phrasal verbs. - The concept is expressed through the verb itself and its negative form "không cầm lòng được".

Related Idioms

• "Nuốt nước mắt vào trong": To swallow one's tears (a similar idiom describing suppressing sadness).
  • Cô ấy nuốt nước mắt vào trong để tỏ ra mạnh mẽ. (She swallowed her tears to appear strong.)
• "Nén giận làm lành": To suppress anger to make peace (describes holding back a specific emotion for a purpose).

1. To hold back one's feeling
   • cầm lòng không đậu
     to be unable to hold back one's feeling