Definition

Verb: - To humiliate, to insult: To treat someone with contempt and cause them to lose their dignity or self-respect; to speak to or treat someone in a way that is extremely disrespectful and offensive.

Usage

• The verb lăng nhục describes a severe, intentional act of disrespect aimed at degrading another person. It is a strong word implying deep contempt and a desire to shame the target.
• It is used transitively, requiring a direct object (the person being humiliated).
• Common in formal, serious, or literary contexts to describe grave insults, public shaming, or profound disrespect.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Không nên lăng nhục người khác trước đám đông. (One should not humiliate others in front of a crowd.)
  • Hành động đó của anh ta là để lăng nhục đối thủ. (His action was meant to insult his opponent.)
  • Bị lăng nhục, cô ấy cảm thấy vô cùng tổn thương. (Having been humiliated, she felt deeply hurt.)

Advanced Usage

• "bị lăng nhục": to be humiliated/insulted (passive voice).
  • Anh ta bị lăng nhục ngay trên sân khấu. (He was humiliated right on stage.)
• "hành vi lăng nhục": humiliating/insulting behavior.
  • Hành vi lăng nhục đó là không thể chấp nhận được. (That insulting behavior is unacceptable.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lăng mạ (verb): to revile, to vilify; to use abusive language. (Often used similarly but can emphasize verbal abuse.)
• Sỉ nhục (verb): to insult, to disgrace. (A close synonym, also meaning to insult or bring shame.)
• Nhục mạ (verb): to insult, to humiliate. (Another strong synonym combining shame and verbal abuse.)
• Sự lăng nhục (noun): humiliation, insult.
  • Sự lăng nhục đó sẽ không bao giờ bị lãng quên. (That humiliation will never be forgotten.)

Synonyms

• Làm nhục: to disgrace, to dishonor.
• Xúc phạm: to offend, to affront (can be slightly less severe in some contexts).
• Chửi bới: to curse at, to swear at (more focused on the act of using bad language).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Lăng nhục danh dự": to insult one's honor.
  • Những lời nói đó lăng nhục danh dự của cả gia đình. (Those words insulted the honor of the entire family.)
• "Chịu đựng sự lăng nhục": to endure humiliation.
  • Ông ấy đã phải chịu đựng sự lăng nhục trong nhiều năm. (He had to endure humiliation for many years.)

verb

1. to humiliate, to insult