Definition

1. Verb:
   • To temper: To strengthen and harden a person's character, spirit, or abilities through difficult experiences or rigorous training. This process involves exposing someone to challenges that build resilience and fortitude.
   • To forge: To shape or form someone's personality, will, or skills, often in a transformative way, as if by fire and hammer, implying a deliberate and intense process.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cuộc kháng chiến đã nung đúc một thế hệ anh hùng. (The resistance war tempered a generation of heroes.)
  • Những năm tháng gian khổ ấy nung đúc ý chí của anh ấy. (Those difficult years forged his willpower.)
  • Môi trường quân đội nung đúc con người kỷ luật. (The military environment forges disciplined individuals.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb "nung đúc" is almost exclusively used in a figurative sense for people, their character, or collective spirit. It is not used for physical objects like metal.
• It often describes a slow, gradual, and transformative process over time, resulting in a stronger, more capable, or more resilient individual.

Variants and Related Words

• Rèn luyện (v): to train, to practice, to drill. This focuses more on the repetitive exercise to improve skill or physique.
• Tôi luyện (v): to temper, to harden. Very close in meaning to "nung đúc", often used interchangeably, with a strong emphasis on surviving hardship.

Synonyms

• Temper: To toughen or strengthen.
• Forge: To shape or form under intense conditions.
• Harden: To make resilient.
• Steel (verb): To mentally or morally strengthen.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Nung nấu ý chí: To nurture/burn with determination (focuses on the internal feeling rather than the formative process).
• Vào lửa đục, ra sắt son: An idiom meaning "Enter as crude iron, emerge as steadfast steel," perfectly capturing the essence of being "nung đúc".

1. Temper