Definition

1. Noun:
   • Deep-seated hatred or enmity: A profound and lasting feeling of resentment and hostility, often resulting from a serious wrong or injury.
   • A grudge: A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment held because of a past insult or injury.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Giữa hai gia tộc ấy tồn tại một mối oán cừu sâu nặng. (Between those two families exists a deep-seated enmity.)
  • Anh ta sống với trái tim chứa đầy oán cừu. (He lives with a heart full of hatred.)
  • Họ quyết tâm xóa bỏ mọi oán cừu trong quá khứ. (They are determined to erase all grudges from the past.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is considered literary and somewhat archaic. It is used to describe intense, long-standing hatred, often in a historical, dramatic, or poetic context, rather than in everyday conversation about minor annoyances.

Variants and Related Words

• Oán hận (n): Resentment, bitterness. A more commonly used modern term for resentment.
  • Mối oán hận kéo dài hàng chục năm. (The bitterness lasted for decades.)
• Thù hận (n): Hatred, enmity. Another synonym emphasizing hostile feelings.
  • Thù hận chỉ làm tâm hồn thêm nặng trĩu. (Hatred only makes the soul heavier.)

Synonyms

• Enmity: A state or feeling of active opposition or hostility.
• Grudge: A persistent feeling of ill will or resentment.
• Animosity: Strong hostility.
• Rancor: Bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing.

Related Idioms

• Oán cừu chất chồng: Hatred piled high; meaning animosities have accumulated over time.
  • Câu chuyện là một bi kịch về oán cừu chất chồng giữa hai nhà. (The story is a tragedy of piled-high enmity between two families.)