Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To feel a burning sensation on one's face: To experience a hot, stinging, or painful feeling on the skin of the face, typically due to an external cause like sun, wind, or heat.
   • To feel ashamed; to be embarrassed: To experience a sense of shame, humiliation, or acute embarrassment, often causing one's face to feel hot or flushed.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (burning sensation):

  • Trời nắng gắt khiến da tôi rát mặt. (The harsh sun made my skin feel a burning sensation on my face.)
  • Gió lạnh buốt thổi rát mặt. (The biting cold wind blew, making my face sting.)

• Figurative meaning (shame/embarrassment):

  • Bị thầy giáo phê bình trước lớp, nó rát mặt lắm. (Being criticized by the teacher in front of the class made him feel deeply ashamed.)
  • Những lời chê bai của đồng nghiệp khiến cô ấy rát mặt. (Her colleague's disparaging remarks made her burn with embarrassment.)

Advanced Usage

• "nói rát mặt": To use harsh, scathing, or excoriating words; to criticize someone severely to the point of shaming them.
  • Anh ta nói rát mặt đối thủ trong cuộc tranh luận. (He used excoriating words against his opponent in the debate.)
• "làm rát mặt": To cause someone to feel ashamed or humiliated through one's actions or words.
  • Hành động thiếu suy nghĩ của anh ta làm cả gia đình rát mặt. (His thoughtless action brought shame upon the whole family.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rát (adj/verb): To burn, to sting, to feel a smarting pain. Can be used for other body parts (e.g., - sore throat, - skin stinging).
• Xấu hổ (adj/verb): To be/feel ashamed, embarrassed. A more general synonym for the figurative sense.
• Bỏng rát (adj): Describes a burning, scorching sensation, often more intense than just "rát".

Synonyms

• Literal: Nóng bỏng mặt (to have a scorching hot face), nóng rát mặt (to have a hot, burning face).
• Figurative: Hổ thẹn (to feel ashamed), ngượng chín mặt (to be extremely embarrassed, lit. "embarrassed until nine faces").

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Rát mặt như bỏng": (Lit. Face stinging as if burned). Emphasizes an intense feeling of burning or shame.
  • Nghe những lời chửi mắng, anh ấy rát mặt như bỏng. (Hearing the curses, his face burned with shame.)
• "Nóng mặt": Can be used similarly to mean feeling hot-faced from anger or shame.
  • Bị bắt lỗi, nó nóng mặt không biết nói gì. (Caught making a mistake, he was flustered and hot-faced, not knowing what to say.)

1. Feel a burning sensation on one's face
   • Nắng rát mặt
     To feel a burning sensation on one's face because of the sun
2. Feel ashamed
   • Nói rát mặt
     To use excoriating words