Definition

Verb phrase: - To lose heart; to become discouraged; to feel disheartened: To experience a decline in motivation, hope, or confidence, often due to difficulties, failures, or a long, arduous process. It describes a state of wanting to give up on a task or goal one is in the middle of.

Usage Examples

• Đừng thấy công việc khó khăn mà ngã lòng. (Don't lose heart because the work is difficult.)
• Sau nhiều lần thất bại, anh ấy bắt đầu ngã lòng. (After many failures, he began to become discouraged.)
• Cô ấy không bao giờ ngã lòng trước bất kỳ thử thách nào. (She never loses heart in the face of any challenge.)

Advanced Usage

• "Làm cho ai ngã lòng": To cause someone to lose heart; to discourage someone.
  • Những lời chỉ trích liên tục có thể làm cho người mới bắt đầu ngã lòng. (Constant criticism can cause beginners to lose heart.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nản lòng (verb phrase): A very close synonym, also meaning to become disheartened or discouraged.
  • Đừng nản lòng, hãy cố gắng thêm lần nữa. (Don't be discouraged, try one more time.)
• Chán nản (adjective): Describes the feeling of being bored, weary, or dispirited.
• Thất vọng (verb/adjective): To be disappointed; disappointment. While related, "thất vọng" focuses more on disappointment from unmet expectations, whereas "ngã lòng" emphasizes the loss of will to continue.

Synonyms

• Mất tinh thần: To lose morale/spirit.
• Nhuệ khí suy giảm: (Literally: fighting spirit declines) To have one's drive diminish.

Related Idioms

• "Chớ thấy sóng cả mà ngã tay chèo": An idiom advising not to give up when facing great difficulties (literally: "Don't see big waves and drop your oars"). It conveys a similar meaning of perseverance as the opposite of "ngã lòng".

1. Lose heart
   • Đừng thấy công còn lâu xong mà ngã lòng
     Don't lose heart because the job will take another long period of time to finish