Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cry silently/to oneself; to weep inwardly: "khóc thầm" describes the act of crying without making any sound, often to conceal one's grief or sorrow from others. It implies deep, internalized sadness.

Usage

• Verb:
  • The action is typically performed by a person experiencing profound sadness, pain, or regret but who suppresses the audible expression of it.
  • It often conveys a sense of loneliness, hidden suffering, or a sorrow that must be endured in secret.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy chỉ biết khóc thầm một mình trong phòng. (She could only cry silently by herself in the room.)
  • Nghe tin đó, anh ấy đau lòng nhưng chỉ dám khóc thầm. (Upon hearing that news, he was heartbroken but only dared to weep inwardly.)
  • "Người ngoài cười nụ người trong khóc thầm." (The outsider smiled discreetly, while the insider cried her heart out [silently].)

Advanced Usage

• "khóc thầm trong lòng": to cry/weep in one's heart.
  • Nỗi đau ấy khiến anh khóc thầm trong lòng. (That pain made him weep in his heart.)
• The phrase often appears in literary, poetic, or deeply emotional contexts to describe concealed emotional turmoil.

Variants and Related Words

• Khóc (verb): to cry, to weep (the general term, can be with or without sound).
• Thầm (adverb): silently, secretly, inwardly. Often combined with other verbs (e.g., - to love secretly, - to think to oneself).
• Nức nở (verb): to sob (audibly).

Synonyms

• Rơi lệ thầm: to shed tears silently.
• Nén tiếng khóc: to hold back one's tears/to suppress a cry.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Cười ngoài, khóc trong: to laugh on the outside, cry on the inside. This idiom shares a very similar conceptual space with "khóc thầm," describing hidden sorrow behind a cheerful facade.
• Nuốt nước mắt vào trong: to swallow one's tears. This emphasizes the act of forcing emotions down without letting them show, closely related to the feeling behind "khóc thầm."

1. Cry one's heart out.
   • "Người ngoài cười nụ người trong khóc thầm " (Nguyễn Du)
2. The outsider smiled a disc reet satisfied smile while the insider criesd her heart out