Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To have the heart to (do something): To be willing or able to do something that is typically considered harsh, unkind, or difficult, often implying a lack of compassion or a conflict of conscience.
   • To bear to (do something): To find it within oneself to perform an action that causes distress, pain, or sadness, either to oneself or others.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Sao anh lại nỡ tâm bỏ rơi con vật nhỏ bé đó? (How could you have the heart to abandon that small animal?)
  • Cô ấy không nỡ tâm nói sự thật với người bệnh. (She couldn't bear to tell the truth to the sick person.)
  • Tôi không nỡ tâm nhìn cảnh tượng đau lòng đó. (I couldn't bear to look at that heartbreaking scene.)

Advanced Usage

• "Nỡ tâm nào": A more emphatic or rhetorical form, often used in questions to express strong disbelief or reproach regarding someone's cruel action.
  • Nỡ tâm nào mà anh lại lừa dối một người bạn lâu năm? (How could you possibly have the heart to deceive an old friend?)

Variants and Related Words

• Nỡ nào (verb phrase): A near-synonymous variant with the same meaning ("how could one bear to...", "to have the heart to...").
  • Nỡ nào từ chối một đứa trẻ đang đói? (How could one bear to refuse a hungry child?)

Synonyms

• Đành lòng (verb phrase): To resign oneself to (doing something), to bring oneself to do something reluctantly. (Note: "Đành lòng" often implies more personal reluctance or sorrow than "nỡ tâm", which can imply a judgment on the action's cruelty.)
• Cam tâm (verb): To be resigned to, to accept (a negative situation) willingly. (Note: "Cam tâm" focuses on acceptance rather than the act of causing hardship.)

Related Idioms

• "Lòng nào nỡ tâm": A set phrase meaning "what kind of heart could bear to...", used to emphasize the unthinkable nature of a cruel action.
  • Lòng nào nỡ tâm đánh đập trẻ con? (What kind of heart could bear to beat children?)

1. Have the heart tọ