Definition

1. Noun:
   • Sense of shame; integrity and shame: "Liêm sỉ" refers to the moral quality of being upright, honest, and having a sense of shame that prevents one from doing dishonorable or disgraceful things. It combines the concepts of integrity ("liêm") and shame ("sỉ").

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ta là người có liêm sỉ. (He is a person with a sense of shame/integrity.)
  • Hành động đó chứng tỏ hắn không có liêm sỉ. (That action proves he has no sense of shame.)
  • Liêm sỉ là phẩm chất quan trọng của một con người. (A sense of shame/integrity is an important quality of a person.)

Advanced Usage

• "mất liêm sỉ": to lose one's sense of shame; to act shamelessly.
  • Anh ta đã mất liêm sỉ khi làm việc đó. (He lost his sense of shame when he did that.)
• "vô liêm sỉ": shameless; lacking integrity and shame.
  • Kẻ vô liêm sỉ không biết xấu hổ. (A shameless person does not know shame.)
• "còn liêm sỉ": to still have a sense of shame.
  • Hãy làm sao cho mình còn liêm sỉ. (Act in a way that you still keep your sense of shame.)

Variants and Related Words

• Liêm (adj/n): Upright, honest, incorruptible. Often used in compounds like "liêm chính" (honest and upright).
• Sỉ (n): Shame, disgrace. Often used in compounds like "sỉ nhục" (humiliation, disgrace).
• Liêm khiết (adj): Incorruptible, honest. A close synonym focusing on honesty.
• Danh dự (n): Honor, reputation. Related but broader than "liêm sỉ".

Synonyms

• Lòng tự trọng: Self-respect.
• Danh dự: Honor.
• Sự trung thực: Honesty.

Related Phrases

• "Biết liêm sỉ": To know shame; to have a conscience.
  • Nó còn biết liêm sỉ nên đã xin lỗi. (He still knows shame, so he apologized.)
• "Không biết liêm sỉ": To be shameless.
  • Hắn thật không biết liêm sỉ! (He is truly shameless!)

Related Idioms

• "Treo đầu dê, bán thịt chó": Literally "Hang a goat's head, sell dog meat". It means to engage in fraud or deception, which is an action against "liêm sỉ".
  • Công ty đó treo đầu dê bán thịt chó, thật là vô liêm sỉ. (That company is fraudulent, it's truly shameless.)
• "Ăn cây táo rào cây sung": Literally "Eat from the apple tree but fence the fig tree". It means to be ungrateful or disloyal, often considered against "liêm sỉ".
  • Hắn giúp anh mà anh lại phản bội, thật không có liêm sỉ. (He helped you and you betrayed him, that really shows no integrity.)

1. sense of shame