Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To think to oneself: To have thoughts internally without speaking them aloud; to consider something privately in one's mind.

Usage

• This phrase is used to describe the internal, unspoken process of thinking. It emphasizes that the thought is kept private and not expressed verbally to others.
• It is often used in narratives or storytelling to convey a character's internal monologue or private reaction to a situation.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Nghe tin đó, tôi chỉ biết nghĩ bụng mà không dám nói ra. (Hearing that news, I could only think to myself and didn't dare say it out loud.)
  • Cô ấy nghĩ bụng rằng kế hoạch này có lẽ sẽ thất bại. (She thought to herself that this plan would probably fail.)
  • Anh ta nghĩ bụng đã đến lúc phải thay đổi. (He thought to himself that it was time for a change.)

Advanced Usage

• "Nghĩ bụng" is synonymous with "nghĩ thầm". Both phrases are used interchangeably to mean "to think silently/inwardly."
  • Ông cụ ngồi im, nghĩ thầm về những kỷ niệm xưa. (The old man sat quietly, thinking silently about old memories.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghĩ thầm (verb phrase): To think silently; to think to oneself. (A direct synonym).
• Thầm nghĩ (verb phrase): A less common variant with the same meaning.
• Tự nhủ (verb phrase): To tell oneself; often implies a more deliberate, self-directed thought or reminder.
  • Cô tự nhủ lần sau phải cẩn thận hơn. (She told herself to be more careful next time.)

Synonyms

• Nghĩ trong đầu: To think in one's head.
• Suy tính thầm lặng: To calculate/ponder silently.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Nước mắt chảy vào trong": (Lit: Tears flow inward). This idiom describes suffering or sadness that is kept hidden and borne silently, which is related to the concept of keeping thoughts (nghĩ bụng) private.
  • Bà ấy chịu đựng mọi nỗi đau, đúng là nước mắt chảy vào trong. (She endured all the pain, it was truly a case of suffering in silence.)

1. Think to oneself