Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Worried, extremely anxious: Describes a state of intense mental distress or agitation, often due to concern, fear, or a difficult situation.
   • Puzzled, perplexed: Describes a state of being deeply confused or troubled by something that is hard to understand or resolve.

Usage

• "Nát gan" is a literary and figurative adjective. It is used to express a very high degree of worry, anxiety, or mental torment. It is not typically used in casual, everyday conversation but is found in poetry, literature, or expressive speech to emphasize deep distress.
• It functions as a predicate adjective, often following the subject and a verb like "cũng" (also/even) or "phải" (must/be).
• Example structure: Subject + (cũng/phải) + nát gan.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Dẫu rằng đá cũng nát gan lọ người. (Even stones would be worried sick, let alone men.)
  • Nghe tin ấy, lòng tôi nát gan. (Hearing that news, my heart was tormented with worry.)
  • Vấn đề khó giải quyết khiến anh ấy nát gan. (The hard-to-solve problem made him extremely anxious.)

Advanced Usage

• "nát gan nát ruột": An intensified idiom combining "nát gan" (shattered liver) with "nát ruột" (shattered intestines). It expresses an even more extreme state of worry, anguish, or heartbreak.
  • Chờ đợi tin con, bà cứ nát gan nát ruột. (Waiting for news of her child, the old woman was utterly sick with worry.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lo lắng (v/adj): to worry / worried. (A more common, general term for worry.)
• Bối rối (adj): confused, flustered, perplexed.
• Xót xa (adj): to feel painful sorrow, to be heartbroken. (Shares the connotation of deep emotional pain.)
• Ray rứt (v/adj): to be tormented by guilt or remorse.

Synonyms

• Băn khoăn: to be anxious, to be troubled (by a thought or decision).
• Thấp thỏm: to be on tenterhooks, to be in a state of nervous suspense.
• Áy náy: to feel uneasy, to have a troubled conscience.

Related Idioms

• Nóng ruột: Literally "hot intestines"; meaning impatient or anxious.
  • Chờ mãi không thấy về, tôi nóng ruột quá. (Waiting without seeing him return, I grew very anxious.)
• Thắt lòng: Literally "tightened heart"; meaning heart-wrenching, causing deep sorrow.
  • Cảnh tượng ấy khiến người xem thắt lòng. (That scene was heart-wrenching for the viewers.)

Notes on Meaning

• The literal meaning is "shattered liver" (gan = liver). It is a vivid metaphor comparing intense mental/emotional distress to physical organ damage.
• The reference from Nguyễn Du's "Truyện Kiều" is the most canonical example, using hyperbole ("even stones would be worried") to emphasize the extreme nature of a situation's emotional impact.

1. Worried, puzzled.
   • "Dẫu rằng đá cũng nát gan lọ người " (Nguyễn Du)
2. Even stones were worried, let alone men