Definition

1. Verb:
   • To endure, to bear, to tolerate (especially insults, hardships, or mistreatment): "nhịn nhục" describes the act of consciously and patiently enduring something unpleasant, such as an insult, provocation, or difficult situation, without retaliating or complaining.
   • To be long-suffering, to forbear: It implies a deliberate choice to suppress one's immediate reaction (like anger or resentment) for a greater purpose, often with a sense of resignation or patience.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy đã phải nhịn nhục rất nhiều trong công việc cũ. (He had to endure a lot in his old job.)
  • Để giữ hòa khí trong gia đình, cô ấy chọn cách nhịn nhục. (To keep peace in the family, she chooses to forbear.)
  • Nhịn nhục là một đức tính cần thiết trong cuộc sống. (Forbearance is a necessary virtue in life.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhịn nhục chịu đựng": to endure and bear patiently (emphasizing the aspect of suffering through).

  • Trong hoàn cảnh khó khăn, bà ấy chỉ biết nhịn nhục chịu đựng. (In difficult circumstances, she could only endure and bear it patiently.)

• "sự nhịn nhục" (noun form): forbearance, patience, long-suffering.

  • Sự nhịn nhục của người mẹ thật đáng khâm phục. (The mother's forbearance is truly admirable.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhẫn nhịn (verb): A very close synonym, also meaning to endure patiently, to be forbearing. It often carries a similar connotation of suppressing one's feelings.

  • Ông ấy nhẫn nhịn không nói gì. (He endured patiently without saying anything.)

• Chịu đựng (verb): To endure, to bear, to withstand. This is a more general term for tolerating hardship or pain, without the specific nuance of "digesting an insult" that "nhịn nhục" has.

  • Chịu đựng đau đớn. (To endure pain.)

• Cam chịu (verb): To resign oneself to, to accept (a negative situation) passively.

  • Cam chịu số phận. (To resign oneself to fate.)

Synonyms

• Kiên nhẫn chịu đựng: To patiently endure.
• Nhẫn nại: To be patient, persevering (focuses more on patience than on enduring insult).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "Một điều nhịn, chín điều lành": (Proverb) Literally "One act of forbearance brings nine acts of goodness." It means that being patient and holding back (nhịn) often leads to better outcomes and avoids trouble.

  • Anh nên nhớ câu "một điều nhịn, chín điều lành". (You should remember the saying "one act of forbearance brings nine acts of goodness".)

• "Bóp mồm bóp miệng": (Idiom) To pinch one's mouth; to practice extreme frugality or self-denial. While not a direct synonym, it shares the concept of restraining oneself, often from desires (like spending or eating), which is related to the self-control in "nhịn nhục".

verb

1. to digest an insult