nhún mình
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To humble oneself / to be modest: To consciously adopt a modest or humble attitude, often by downplaying one's own status, achievements, or importance in relation to others.
- To lower oneself: To figuratively reduce one's own perceived stature, typically as a gesture of respect, politeness, or deference.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Trong bài phát biểu, ông ấy luôn nhún mình khi nói về thành công của bản thân. (In his speech, he always humbled himself when talking about his own success.)
- Cô ấy nhún mình trước các bậc tiền bối. (She lowered herself before her seniors.)
- Anh ta biết nhún mình để học hỏi từ mọi người. (He knows to be modest in order to learn from everyone.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often implies a deliberate and polite social action, not necessarily reflecting low self-esteem. It is a cultivated behavior showing good manners and respect within hierarchical or formal relationships.
Variants and Related Words
- Khiêm tốn (adj): modest, humble. This is an adjective describing the quality, while "nhún mình" is the active act of displaying that quality.
- Anh ấy là người rất khiêm tốn. (He is a very modest person.)
Synonyms
- To show humility: To demonstrate a modest view of one's own importance.
- To be self-effacing: To not draw attention to oneself; to be modest.
- To defer: To yield respectfully to another's opinion or status.
Related Idioms
- Nhún nhường: To yield, to give way. This emphasizes conceding or stepping aside for others, often overlapping with the politeness in "nhún mình."
- Trong tranh luận, cô ấy biết cách nhún nhường. (In arguments, she knows how to yield.)