Definition

Verb: - To hold oneself in, to restrain oneself: To suppress or control one's emotions, especially anger, frustration, or sadness, preventing them from being expressed outwardly. - To force oneself to endure/accept: To compel oneself to bear or tolerate an unpleasant situation or feeling.

Usage

This verb describes the internal act of emotional suppression. It is used when someone consciously stops themselves from reacting emotionally, often out of necessity, propriety, or strategy. It implies a struggle against a strong, natural impulse.

Usage Examples

• (She was very angry but still had to hold herself in to speak calmly.)
• (Upon hearing the sad news, he could only restrain himself from crying in front of everyone.)
• (I had to force myself to endure that injustice for the common good.)

Advanced Usage

• "Dằn lòng dằn dạ": An intensified form, emphasizing a deep, gut-wrenching effort to suppress emotions. It conveys a stronger sense of internal turmoil and struggle.
  • Nghe lời nói đó, bà cụ dằn lòng dằn dạ mà không đáp lại. (Hearing those words, the old lady bit her tongue hard and did not reply.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kìm nén (verb): To suppress, to repress (emotions). A close synonym, though "kìm nén" can be more general, while "dằn lòng" is specifically about controlling one's inner self.
• Nén lòng (verb): To hold back one's feelings. Very similar in meaning and usage to "dằn lòng".
• Dằn (verb): To press down, to suppress. The root verb, often used in compounds like "dằn mặt" (to intimidate) or "dằn vặt" (to torment oneself).

Synonyms

• To restrain oneself: The most direct translation for the act of self-control.
• To suppress one's feelings: Emphasizes the action of pushing emotions down.
• To bite one's tongue: An idiomatic expression meaning to stop oneself from saying something.
• To grit one's teeth and bear it: An idiomatic expression for enduring something unpleasant with determination.

Related Idioms

• "Dằn lòng chịu đựng": To steel oneself and endure/to bear with restraint. A common collocation.
  • Không còn cách nào khác, chúng tôi đành dằn lòng chịu đựng. (With no other way, we had no choice but to grit our teeth and bear it.)

verb

1. to hold oneself in