Definition

1. Intransitive Verb:
   • To repent, to have a change of heart: To realize one's own mistake or wrongdoing after reflection and feel regret, often leading to a desire to change one's behavior or make amends. It implies an internal moral awakening.

Usage Examples

• Intransitive Verb:
  • Sau khi nghe lời khuyên, anh ấy đã hồi tâm và xin lỗi mọi người. (After listening to the advice, he repented and apologized to everyone.)
  • Cô ấy hồi tâm khi nhận ra hành động của mình đã làm tổn thương người khác. (She had a change of heart when she realized her actions had hurt others.)
  • Hy vọng kẻ phạm tội sớm hồi tâm. (We hope the offender repents soon.)

Advanced Usage

• "Hồi tâm chuyển ý": To repent and change one's mind/intention completely. This four-character idiom emphasizes a full turnaround in thoughts and intentions.

  • Nhờ sự giúp đỡ của cộng đồng, hắn đã hồi tâm chuyển ý, trở thành một người lương thiện. (Thanks to the community's help, he repented and changed his ways, becoming an honest person.)

• "Sám hối hồi tâm": To confess and repent. This phrase is often used in a religious or deeply moral context, combining acknowledgment of sin with sincere repentance.

  • Trước bàn thờ, ông ấy thành kính sám hối hồi tâm. (Before the altar, he devoutly confessed and repented.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hối hận (verb): To regret, to feel remorse. This word focuses more on the feeling of regret rather than the full process of moral realization and turning back implied by "hồi tâm."
• Hối cải (verb): To repent and reform. Similar to "hồi tâm" but places stronger emphasis on the subsequent act of correction and improvement.
• Ăn năn (verb): To feel contrite, to be penitent. Often used interchangeably with "hồi tâm" but can sometimes imply a slightly less profound transformation.

Synonyms

• Repent: To feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin.
• Have a change of heart: To change one's attitude or feelings, especially to become more kind, sympathetic, or moral.
• Feel remorse: To feel deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

Related Phrases (No direct phrasal verb equivalent in Vietnamese)

• "Tỉnh ngộ": To come to one's senses, to become enlightened (often after being deluded or mistaken). While similar, "tỉnh ngộ" is broader and can apply to realizing any error, not necessarily a moral one.
• "Quay đầu là bờ": (Idiom) Literally "Turning your head back is the shore," meaning it's never too late to repent and reform. This is a common saying used to encourage repentance.

Related Idioms

• "Hồi tâm hướng thiện": To repent and turn towards goodness. This idiom perfectly captures the core meaning of "hồi tâm" – the internal turnaround aiming for virtuous conduct.
  • Câu chuyện về một tên trộm hồi tâm hướng thiện. (The story of a thief who repented and turned to goodness.)
• "Lỗi lầm đã biết hồi tâm": The mistake is now known and repented. This phrase describes the state after the act of repentance.

1. Realize one's mistake after second thought