Definition

Adjective: - Ashamed, embarrassed, feeling shame: A state of feeling uncomfortable, self-conscious, or distressed due to one's own actions, a situation, or the actions of others closely associated, often causing a desire to hide one's face or avoid attention. It describes a specific type of shame or embarrassment that shows on one's face.

Usage

This adjective describes a person's emotional state. It is often used with verbs like cảm thấy (to feel), thấy (to feel/see), or làm cho (to make). - It directly describes the feeling of shame/embarrassment. - It can describe the person feeling the emotion.

Usage Examples

• (She felt very ashamed when she was caught making a mistake.)
• (His actions made the whole family ashamed.)
• (I am truly embarrassed because I forgot your name.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngượng mặt chín người": An idiom meaning to be extremely ashamed, to the point where one feels the shame is visible to everyone. It intensifies the feeling of ngượng mặt.
  • Sai lầm đó khiến tôi ngượng mặt chín người. (That mistake made me deeply, profoundly ashamed.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngượng (adj): Shy, embarrassed, awkward. A more general term for feeling awkward or shy, not necessarily involving deep shame.
  • Cô ấy cười ngượng nghịu. (She gave an awkward/shy smile.)
• Xấu hổ (adj): Ashamed, embarrassed. Very close in meaning to ngượng mặt, often used interchangeably. Xấu hổ can sometimes imply a slightly stronger moral dimension of shame.
  • Nó xấu hổ vì đã nói dối. (He is ashamed because he lied.)

Synonyms

• Hổ thẹn (adj/v): To feel ashamed, a more literary or formal synonym often related to conscience.
• Bối rối (adj): Flustered, confused, disconcerted. More about confusion than shame.
• Lúng túng (adj): Awkward, flustered, at a loss. Focuses on the awkwardness of a situation.

Related Idioms

• Chui xuống đất: Literally "to crawl into the ground," meaning to be so ashamed one wishes to disappear.
  • Nghe lời phê bình, cậu ấy ước có thể chui xuống đất vì ngượng mặt. (Hearing the criticism, he wished he could crawl into the ground because he was so ashamed.)

1. Ashamed