Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Proud and unyielding; having a dignified and confident demeanor, especially in the face of adversity or threat. It describes a posture or attitude of someone who stands tall, with head held high, refusing to be subdued or humiliated.
   • Haughty; arrogant. In some contexts, it can carry a negative connotation of excessive pride or disdain.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (positive connotation):
  • Người chiến sĩ đứng hiên ngang trước kẻ thù. (The soldier stood proud and unyielding before the enemy.)
  • Với tư thế hiên ngang, bà bước vào phòng xử án. (With a dignified bearing, she walked into the courtroom.)
• Adjective (negative connotation):
  • Hắn ta trả lời với một vẻ hiên ngang khó chịu. (He answered with an unpleasant haughtiness.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used in literary or formal contexts to describe heroic, defiant, or exceptionally dignified attitudes, particularly in historical or political narratives.

Variants and Related Words

• Hiên ngang đường hoàng (idiomatic phrase): To be proud, dignified, and upright in manner.
  • Ông ấy sống một cuộc đời hiên ngang đường hoàng. (He lived a life of proud and upright dignity.)

Synonyms

• Proud: Feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction; having a high opinion of one's own dignity.
• Unyielding: Not giving way to pressure; stubborn.
• Haughty: Arrogantly superior and disdainful.
• Dignified: Having or showing a composed or serious manner that is worthy of respect.

Related Idioms

• Đầu đội trời, chân đạp đất: (Literally: Head props up the sky, feet tread the earth.) An idiom describing someone who is independent, free, and lives with a proud, heroic spirit, closely related to the positive sense of "hiên ngang."
  • Con người ấy sống một cuộc đời đầu đội trời chân đạp đất. (That person lived a life of proud independence.)

adj

1. proud; haughty