Definition

1. Verb:
   • To check; to control one's anger: To consciously restrain or suppress feelings of anger, preventing them from being expressed outwardly.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy nén giận và bình tĩnh trả lời. (He controlled his anger and replied calmly.)
  • Cô ấy phải nén giận để không nói ra những lời làm tổn thương. (She had to check her anger to avoid saying hurtful words.)
  • Tôi đã nén giận suốt cuộc họp. (I suppressed my anger throughout the meeting.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies a temporary, conscious effort of willpower to manage a strong emotional reaction, typically in a social or professional context where expressing anger would be disadvantageous.

Variants and Related Words

• Kìm nén (v): to suppress, to repress (emotions in general).

  • Anh ấy kìm nén cảm xúc của mình. (He suppressed his emotions.)

• Nhịn giận (v): to bear or endure anger; similar in meaning but can imply a more passive endurance.

  • Bà ấy nhịn giận không dám nói. (She bore her anger and didn't dare to speak.)

Synonyms

• Suppress anger: To consciously put an end to the expression of anger.
• Bottle up anger: To refuse to express angry feelings, causing them to accumulate internally.
• Restrain one's anger: To hold back or keep under control.

Related Idioms

• Nuốt giận vào trong: Literally "to swallow anger inside"; to force oneself to accept something upsetting without complaint.

  • Anh ta chỉ biết nuốt giận vào trong. (He could only swallow his anger.)

• Giận cá chém thớt: Literally "angry at the fish, chops the cutting board"; to take out one's anger on an innocent party or object. This is a related concept describing the consequence of not successfully "nén giận."

  • Đừng giận cá chém thớt. (Don't take out your anger on the wrong target.)

verb

1. to check; to control one's anger