Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Moved to compassion, touched, having one's heart softened: Describes a state of being emotionally affected, especially by witnessing someone's pitiful or sorrowful situation, leading to feelings of sympathy and compassion.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy rất mủi khi thấy đứa trẻ mồ côi. (She felt very moved/touched when she saw the orphaned child.)
  • Câu chuyện đau lòng ấy khiến ai nghe cũng phải mủi. (That heartbreaking story makes anyone who hears it feel compassion.)

Advanced Usage

• "mủi lòng": This is the primary and most common compound form. It means "to be moved to pity/compassion" or "to have one's heart softened."
  • Nhìn cảnh tượng thương tâm, tôi không khỏi mủi lòng. (Looking at the pitiful scene, I couldn't help but be moved to compassion.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mủi lòng (Compound phrase/Idiom): The standard form, meaning to feel pity and compassion.
• Động lòng (Verb phrase): To be moved/touched (emotionally). A close synonym.
• Thương xót (Verb): To pity, to have compassion for.

Synonyms

• Thương cảm: To sympathize, to feel compassion.
• Xúc động: To be emotionally moved/touched (can be by various emotions, not solely pity).
• Động lòng thương: To have one's heart stirred with pity.

Notes on Usage

• Important: The word "mủi" is almost exclusively used in the compound "mủi lòng". It is very rare to find it used completely alone in modern Vietnamese. When explaining or translating, "mủi lòng" should be treated as the core unit of meaning.
• Emotional Context: It specifically describes an emotional softening or stirring due to witnessing suffering, hardship, or a plea for help, leading to a desire to assist or comfort.
• Not to be confused with: The word "mũi" (with a hook on the 'u') means "nose." "Mủi" (with a tilde on the 'u') is a distinct word related to emotion.

1. xem mủi lòng