Definition

Noun: * Taste, Discernment, Aesthetic Judgment: Refers to the ability to perceive, appreciate, and make judgments about beauty, quality, or appropriateness, especially in art, culture, or style. It implies refined perception and understanding.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Nhà phê bình có nhãn thức rộng. (The critic has broad taste / great discernment.)
  • Cô ấy thể hiện nhãn thức tinh tế trong cách bài trí nội thất. (She demonstrates refined taste in interior decoration.)
  • Nhãn thức thẩm mỹ của anh ấy rất đáng tin cậy. (His aesthetic judgment is very reliable.)

Advanced Usage

• "thiếu nhãn thức": to lack taste, to be lacking in discernment.
  • Bộ phim đó bị chỉ trích là thiếu nhãn thức. (That film was criticized for lacking taste.)
• "được đánh giá cao về nhãn thức": to be highly regarded for one's taste.
  • Nhà thiết kế ấy được đánh giá cao về nhãn thức. (That designer is highly regarded for her taste.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thẩm mỹ (n): Aesthetics; the philosophy or study of beauty.
• Khiếu thẩm mỹ (n): Aesthetic sense, an innate sense of beauty.
• Sự tinh tế (n): Refinement, sophistication, subtlety.
• Gu (n, from French ): Taste, style (a common loanword used similarly in informal contexts).

Synonyms

• Khiếu thẩm mỹ: Aesthetic sense.
• Gu (loanword): Taste.
• Sự tinh tế: Refinement.

Notes on Usage

• Formality: "Nhãn thức" is a formal, literary, and somewhat academic term. It is less common in everyday speech than words like "gu" or phrases like "khiếu thẩm mỹ."
• Scope: It strongly implies educated, cultivated judgment rather than just personal preference. It is often used in contexts of criticism, art, design, and high culture.
• Etymology: The word is of Sino-Vietnamese origin, combining elements meaning "eye" (nhãn) and "knowledge/consciousness" (thức), literally suggesting "visual understanding" or "perception through sight," which aligns with its use in aesthetic judgment.

1. Taste
   • Nhà phê bình có nhãn thức rộng
     A critic of great taste