nhẫn nhịn
Definition
- Verb:
- To endure / to bear patiently: To tolerate a difficult, unpleasant, or unfair situation without complaining or reacting angrily. It implies a conscious choice to exercise restraint.
- To forbear: To patiently control oneself when provoked, choosing not to retaliate.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Cô ấy đã nhẫn nhịn sự chỉ trích vô lý trong nhiều năm. (She endured the unreasonable criticism for many years.)
- Để giữ hòa khí, anh ấy đã nhẫn nhịn không nói gì. (To keep the peace, he forbore from saying anything.)
- Người mẹ ấy phải nhẫn nhịn rất nhiều. (That mother has to bear a great deal.)
Advanced Usage
- The word often conveys a sense of silent, long-term suffering or tolerance, frequently for a higher purpose (e.g., family harmony, future gain). It is stronger and more passive than simple patience ("kiên nhẫn").
Variants and Related Words
Nhẫn nhục (v): To endure hardship or humiliation with resignation, often with a Buddhist connotation of acceptance.
- Họ nhẫn nhục chịu đựng cảnh nghèo khó. (They resignedly endured poverty.)
Chịu đựng (v): To suffer, to withstand, to put up with. This is a more general term for tolerance.
- Chịu đựng đau đớn. (To withstand pain.)
Synonyms
- Endure: To suffer something painful or difficult patiently.
- Forbear: To refrain from doing something; to be patient.
- Tolerate: To allow the existence or occurrence of something without interference.
- Put up with (idiomatic): To tolerate or endure.
Related Idioms
- Nhẫn nhịn chịu thương chịu khó: To endure hardship and hard work patiently. This idiom describes a virtue of persevering through difficulties.
- Người nông dân nhẫn nhịn chịu thương chịu khó quanh năm. (The farmer endures hardship and toils patiently all year round.)