nhìn nhõ
Definition
- Verb:
- To pay attention to; to care for; to look after: The primary meaning of "nhìn nhõ" is to give care, attention, or consideration to someone or something. It is most commonly used in negative constructions to indicate a lack of care or attention.
- To acknowledge; to recognize: A secondary, less common meaning is to acknowledge or recognize a situation or fact, often with a sense of consideration.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Anh ta chẳng nhìn nhõ gì đến gia đình cả. (He doesn't pay any attention to his family at all.)
- Công ty này không nhìn nhõ đến sức khỏe của nhân viên. (This company does not care for the health of its employees.)
- Họ không nhìn nhõ thực tế khó khăn. (They do not acknowledge the difficult reality.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is almost exclusively used in negative phrases like "không/chẳng/chả nhìn nhõ gì đến..." (to not pay any attention/care to...). Its use in affirmative sentences is very rare in modern Vietnamese.
Variants and Related Words
- Nhìn nhận (v): to recognize, to acknowledge, to perceive. This is a more common and neutral synonym for the secondary meaning.
- Chúng ta cần nhìn nhận vấn đề một cách khách quan. (We need to recognize the problem objectively.)
Synonyms
- To care for: to look after, to provide for.
- To pay attention to: to take notice of.
- To acknowledge: to recognize the existence or truth of.
Notes on Usage
- "Nhìn nhõ" is considered a somewhat literary or older word. In everyday modern speech, phrases like "quan tâm đến" (to care about) or "chăm sóc" (to take care of) are more frequently used for the primary meaning, while "nhìn nhận" is standard for the meaning of acknowledgment.
- Its usage is highly idiomatic, firmly tied to negative constructions expressing neglect or disregard.