nhớ ơn
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To be grateful / to feel gratitude: To hold a conscious and appreciative memory of a favor or kindness received from someone, often leading to a sense of indebtedness.
- To remember a kindness / to not forget a favor: To keep the memory of someone's help or good deed alive in one's mind, implying an ongoing positive regard.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Chúng tôi luôn nhớ ơn sự giúp đỡ của ngài. (We are always grateful for your help.)
- Anh ấy là người biết nhớ ơn. (He is a person who remembers kindnesses.)
- Cả dân tộc nhớ ơn các anh hùng liệt sĩ. (The whole nation is grateful to the heroic martyrs.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often carries a moral or ethical weight, suggesting that gratitude should be followed by appropriate action or loyalty when possible.
- It is commonly used in formal speeches, memorials, and proverbs to emphasize social and familial bonds.
Variants and Related Words
Mang ơn (verb phrase): to be indebted to someone.
- Tôi mang ơn ông ấy suốt đời. (I am indebted to him for life.)
Biết ơn (verb phrase): to be thankful, to feel thankful. This is often used interchangeably with "nhớ ơn" but can feel slightly more immediate.
- Tôi biết ơn vì đã có cơ hội này. (I am thankful for this opportunity.)
Synonyms
- Be grateful: To feel or show appreciation for kindness.
- Feel indebted: To feel a moral obligation to return a favor.
- Remember with gratitude: To recall a past act with thankfulness.
Related Idioms and Proverbs
Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây: Literally "When eating the fruit, remember the planter." This proverb embodies the concept of "nhớ ơn," teaching to be grateful to those who created the benefits one enjoys.
- Câu tục ngữ "ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây" dạy chúng ta phải biết nhớ ơn. (The proverb "when eating the fruit, remember the planter" teaches us to be grateful.)
Uống nước nhớ nguồn: Literally "When drinking water, remember its source." Similar to the above, it means to remember and be grateful for one's origins and benefactors.
- Truyền thống uống nước nhớ nguồn là rất quan trọng. (The tradition of remembering the source when drinking water is very important.)