giọt hồng

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A tear tinged with blood; a bloody tear: A poetic and literary term referring to a tear that appears to contain or be mixed with blood, symbolizing extreme grief, profound sorrow, or immense suffering.
    • A tear of deep anguish: A metaphorical expression for a tear shed during a moment of intense emotional pain or tragic circumstances.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • Nàng khóc những giọt hồng. (She cried tears of blood.)
    • Câu chuyện bi thảm khiến người nghe rơi giọt hồng. (The tragic story moved listeners to shed tears of anguish.)
Advanced Usage
  • This term is almost exclusively used in literary, poetic, or highly formal contexts. It is not used in everyday conversation.
  • It functions as a powerful metaphor to convey a depth of sorrow beyond ordinary crying.
    • Trong thơ ca, nỗi đau mất nước được diễn tả qua hình ảnh giọt hồng. (In poetry, the pain of losing one's country is expressed through the image of a bloody tear.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Giọt lệ (n): A tear. This is the standard, neutral term for a tear.
  • Nước mắt (n): Tears. The most common and general word.
  • Giọt lệ châu (n, literary): A pearly tear; a poetic term for a tear, often implying beauty in sadness, but without the connotation of blood or extreme anguish found in "giọt hồng".
Synonyms
  • Lệ huyết (n, literary): A direct synonym meaning "blood-tear"; equally poetic and rare.
  • Nước mắt đau thương (n phrase): Tears of sorrow/mourning (less metaphorical, more descriptive).
Related Idioms
  • Khóc cạn nước mắt: To cry until one has no tears left. This idiom expresses prolonged grief but does not carry the same metaphorical intensity as "giọt hồng".
  • Đau đớn thấu trời xanh: To be in immense, sky-piercing pain. This conveys a similar scale of suffering that might cause one to shed "giọt hồng".