Definition

Idiom: * A heart of a wolf, the guts of a beast: A figurative expression describing someone who is extremely cruel, savage, and devoid of human compassion. It implies a nature that is more animalistic and predatory than human.

Usage Examples

• Idiom:
  • Hắn ta có thể phản bội người đã từng cứu mạng mình, đúng là lòng lang dạ thú. (He could betray the person who once saved his life; he truly has a heart of a wolf, the guts of a beast.)
  • Những tội ác lòng lang dạ thú đó không thể nào tha thứ được. (Those savage and inhuman crimes are unforgivable.)
  • Đừng tin hắn, bên ngoài tử tế nhưng bên trong lòng lang dạ thú đấy. (Don't trust him; he seems kind on the outside but has the heart of a beast inside.)

Advanced Usage

This idiom is used exclusively in a negative, condemnatory context to express strong moral outrage. It is often employed in literary, journalistic, or emphatic spoken language to describe acts of extreme betrayal, violence, or heartlessness.

Variants and Related Words

• Lòng lang dạ sói: A variant with identical meaning ("a heart of a wolf, the guts of a wolf"). Both "thú" (beast) and "sói" (wolf) emphasize ferocity and inhumanity.
• Độc ác (adj): cruel, malicious.
• Tàn bạo (adj): brutal, barbarous.
• Vô nhân đạo (adj): inhuman, inhumane.

Synonyms

• Heartless
• Barbarous
• Savage
• Inhuman
• Cruel and unscrupulous

Related Idioms

• Mặt người dạ thú: (A human face, a beast's guts) – Meaning someone who appears human but is evil inside, similar to "a wolf in sheep's clothing."
• Đen như quạ: (As black as a crow) – Used to describe a very evil, wicked heart.

pronoun

1. smel;
2. barbarous