Definition

1. Adjective (idiomatic):
   • To be deeply indebted (emotionally or morally): To feel a profound, often burdensome, sense of obligation, gratitude, or attachment to someone or something, as if carrying a heavy debt. It implies a bond that is difficult to repay or sever.
   • To be heavily obligated: To be under a significant, weighty moral or emotional commitment.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy nặng nợ với ân nhân cứu mạng. (He feels deeply indebted to the benefactor who saved his life.)
  • Cô ấy nặng nợ với quê hương nên luôn muốn đóng góp. (She feels a heavy obligation to her homeland, so she always wants to contribute.)
  • Nhà văn ấy nặng nợ với văn chương. (That writer is profoundly attached to literature / feels a deep debt to letters.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in reflective or poetic contexts to describe a lifelong, soul-deep connection or duty that shapes a person's actions and identity.

Variants and Related Words

• Mang nợ (v): to be in debt (can be financial or moral).

  • Anh ta mang nợ một món tiền lớn. (He is in debt for a large sum of money.)

• Trả nợ (v): to repay a debt (literal or figurative).

  • Anh ấy làm việc cật lực để trả nợ ơn nghĩa. (He works tirelessly to repay his debt of gratitude.)

Synonyms

• Indebted: Owing gratitude for a service or favor.
• Obligated: Bound by a legal, moral, or emotional commitment.
• Beholden: Owing thanks or having a duty to someone.

Related Idioms

• Nợ như chúa Chổm: To be up to one's ears in debt (usually financial).

  • Công ty đó nợ như chúa Chổm. (That company is deeply in debt.)

• Nợ tình: A debt of love; an emotional bond or obligation arising from a relationship.

  • Giữa họ là một mối nợ tình khó dứt. (Between them is a debt of love that is hard to sever.)