Definition

1. Conjunction/Interjection:
   • That is why, therefore, no wonder: Used to express understanding or realization of a cause-and-effect relationship, often with a sense of "it's no surprise that...". It connects a known reason to an observed result.

Usage Examples

• As a conjunction introducing a clause:
  • Hèn chi trời lạnh thế, hóa ra đang có bão. (No wonder it's so cold; it turns out there's a storm.)
  • Cậu ấy thức khuya học bài cả tuần, hèn chi hôm nay trông mệt mỏi. (He stayed up late studying all week, that's why he looks tired today.)
• As an interjection expressing sudden understanding:
  • À, hèn chi! Bây giờ tôi mới hiểu. (Ah, no wonder! Now I understand.)
  • Hèn chi cô ấy không đến, điện thoại của cô ấy hết pin rồi. (No wonder she didn't come; her phone ran out of battery.)

Advanced Usage

• "Thảo nào": A near-synonymous expression with the same meaning and usage as "hèn chi".
  • Thảo nào/Hèn chi anh ấy biết, anh ấy đã đọc báo cáo rồi. (No wonder he knows; he has already read the report.)
• Implied cause: The reason is sometimes only implied by the context and not stated directly.
  • (Nhìn thấy đường phố vắng tanh) Hèn chi... Chủ nhật mà. (([Seeing the empty streets]) No wonder... It's Sunday.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hèn gì: A common variant with identical meaning and usage to "hèn chi".
  • Hèn gì cô ấy giỏi tiếng Anh thế, cô ấy sống ở Mỹ 10 năm rồi. (No wonder she's so good at English; she lived in the US for 10 years.)
• Thì ra: Another expression meaning "so that's why/it turns out that", often used to introduce a newly discovered reason.
  • Thì ra là vậy! (So that's it!)

Synonyms

• Vì thế: Therefore, consequently (more formal, less focused on the "no wonder" aspect).
• Thảo nào: No wonder (identical in meaning and register).
• Chẳng trách: It's no wonder that.../It's not surprising that... (can imply a slight criticism or stronger emphasis on the obviousness of the outcome).

Related Phrases

• "Thì ra là..." / "Hóa ra là...": Phrases meaning "It turns out that...", often used to introduce the explanatory clause after "Hèn chi".
  • Hèn chi anh ấy vui thế. Hóa ra là anh ấy đã được thăng chức. (No wonder he's so happy. It turns out he got promoted.)

Related Idioms

• "Biết vậy còn hơn": An idiom expressing regret or hindsight, sometimes used in a similar context of realization. It means "Had I/we known, it would have been better...".
  • Hèn chi trời mưa. Biết vậy tôi đã mang ô. (No wonder it's raining. Had I known, I would have brought an umbrella.)

1. (cũng nói hèn gì) That is why, therefor, no wonder
   • Tiêu pha không có kế hoạch như thế hèn chi mà không mang công mắc nợ
     They spend without calculatetion, that is why they are head and ears in debt