dưỡng chí
Definitions
- Verb phrase:
- To cultivate one's willpower: To nurture, strengthen, and maintain one's determination, aspirations, or mental resolve through deliberate practice or lifestyle.
- To foster one's ambition: To care for and develop one's long-term goals and driving purpose.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Ông ấy lui về vườn để dưỡng chí. (He retreated to his garden to cultivate his willpower.)
- Thiền định là một phương pháp giúp dưỡng chí rất tốt. (Meditation is an excellent method for fostering one's ambition.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is considered literary and somewhat archaic in modern Vietnamese. It is often used in classical or philosophical contexts, or to describe the actions of historical or scholarly figures.
- It implies a conscious, often solitary or reflective, process of self-improvement focused on inner strength rather than external achievement.
Variants and Related Words
- Dưỡng dục (verb): To nurture and educate (often used for raising children).
- Dưỡng tâm (verb phrase): To cultivate one's mind/heart; to nurture inner peace and moral character.
- Chí hướng (noun): Ambition, aspiration, goal.
Synonyms
- Rèn luyện ý chí: To train one's willpower.
- Nuôi dưỡng hoài bão: To nurture one's ambitions.
Notes on Meaning
- The core meaning combines "dưỡng" (to nourish, to care for, to recuperate) and "chí" (will, determination, ambition). It describes a process of internal cultivation.
- Unlike simply "having" willpower, "dưỡng chí" emphasizes the ongoing action of maintaining and strengthening it.