Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Ruthless, harsh, cruel: Describes an action, attitude, or situation that is severely unkind, cold, and lacking in compassion or mercy.
   • Brutal, stark (often for truth or reality): Describes a fact, reality, or outcome that is unpleasantly direct, unadorned, and difficult to accept.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy đã đối xử với cô ấy một cách phũ phàng. (He treated her ruthlessly/harshly.)
  • Sự thật phũ phàng khiến cô ấy suy sụp. (The brutal/stark truth made her collapse.)
  • Lời từ chối của anh ta thật phũ phàng. (His rejection was cruelly harsh.)

Advanced Usage

• "phũ phàng" to describe fate or circumstances: Often used to depict a merciless twist of fate or a harsh turn of events.
  • Số phận phũ phàng đã cướp đi của anh mọi thứ. (Cruel fate took everything from him.)
• "phũ phàng" in literary contexts: Commonly found in poetry and classic literature to convey deep emotional cruelty or stark reality.
  • "Phũ phàng chi bấy hoá công!" (Truyện Kiều) (How ruthless you are, oh Creator!)

Variants and Related Words

• Phũ (adj/v, literary): An abbreviated, stronger, and more literary form meaning to act harshly or treat cruelly. Often used in compound words or classical texts.
  • Lòng người sao lại phũ phàng? (Why is the human heart so cruel?)
• Tàn nhẫn (adj): Cruel, merciless. A close synonym, but "phũ phàng" often carries an additional nuance of coldness and sudden emotional impact.
• Lạnh lùng (adj): Cold, indifferent. Shares the aspect of emotional coldness but may lack the overt cruelty of "phũ phàng".

Synonyms

• Tàn nhẫn: cruel, merciless.
• Nhẫn tâm: heartless.
• Lạnh lùng: cold, indifferent.
• Khắc nghiệt: severe, harsh (often for conditions or treatment).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Sự thật phũ phàng: A brutal/stark/harsh truth. A common collocation.
  • Cô ấy phải đối mặt với sự thật phũ phàng. (She had to face the harsh truth.)
• Cách đối xử phũ phàng: Ruthless/harsh treatment.
  • Đứa trẻ chịu cách đối xử phũ phàng từ cha mẹ. (The child endured harsh treatment from the parents.)

adj

1. ruthless, harsh