Definition

1. Verb:
   • To torment, to gnaw at, to cause persistent mental distress: "day dứt" describes a feeling or thought that persistently troubles, worries, or causes anguish to someone's mind or conscience, like a nagging pain.
   • To harass, to pester (figuratively): It can describe an emotion or memory that feels like it is constantly bothering or harassing someone from within.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Lương tâm anh ấy day dứt vì hành động của mình. (His conscience tormented him because of his actions.)
  • Nỗi nhớ quê hương day dứt trong lòng cô ấy. (Homesickness gnawed at her heart.)
  • Cảm giác tội lỗi day dứt anh suốt nhiều năm. (The feeling of guilt harassed him for many years.)

Advanced Usage

• "Giọng day dứt": a tone of voice that is insistent, nagging, or conveys a sense of pestering worry.
  • Cô ấy nói với giọng day dứt, yêu cầu một câu trả lời. (She spoke in a harassing/insistent tone, demanding an answer.)
• "Nỗi day dứt": a persistent feeling of torment or nagging worry, often used as a noun phrase.
  • Anh ấy mang theo nỗi day dứt về quyết định cũ. (He carried the torment/nagging worry about his past decision.)

Variants and Related Words

• Day đi day lại (verb phrase): to turn something over and over in one's mind, to dwell on a thought obsessively. This emphasizes the repetitive, cyclical nature of the mental torment.
  • Cô ấy day đi day lại câu nói đó trong đầu. (She dwelled on that statement over and over in her head.)
• Dày vò (verb): to torture, to torment (often physical or severe mental anguish). This is a stronger, more intense synonym.
  • Nỗi đau mất mát dày vò tâm trí anh. (The pain of loss tortured his mind.)

Synonyms

• Hành hạ (verb): to torture, to torment.
• Ám ảnh (verb): to haunt, to obsess.
• Làm phiền (verb): to bother, to trouble (less intense, more general).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Day dứt lương tâm / Day dứt trong lòng: to have a troubled conscience / to be tormented within one's heart. These are common collocations.
  • Hành động sai trái khiến anh day dứt lương tâm. (The wrongful action caused him to have a troubled conscience.)
• Sống trong day dứt: to live in a state of constant mental torment or nagging worry.
  • Sau sự cố, bà ấy sống trong day dứt. (After the incident, she lived in a state of torment.)

1. Harass
   • Giọng day dứt
     a harassing tone
   • Nỗi nhớ nhung day dứt
     A harassing longing