Definition

Adjective: - To be in agony, to feel pained/anguished in one's heart: "Rát ruột" describes a feeling of deep distress, regret, or mental anguish, often due to loss, waste, or a frustrating situation. It conveys a sense of something causing internal pain or burning regret.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Tiêu nhiều tiền quá rát ruột. (Spending too much money makes one feel in agony.)
  • Nhìn tài sản bị hỏng mà anh ấy rát ruột. (Looking at the damaged property, he was pained in his heart.)
  • Cô ấy rát ruột vì đã bỏ lỡ cơ hội. (She was in agony because she missed the opportunity.)

Advanced Usage

• "Rát ruột" vs. Physical Pain: While "rát" means "to burn" and "ruột" means "intestines/guts", the phrase is almost always used figuratively to describe emotional or psychological distress, not physical stomach pain.
• Expressing Impatience/Frustration: In some contexts, it can imply a burning impatience or frustration when waiting for a desired outcome.
  • Chờ kết quả mà rát ruột quá! (Waiting for the result is so agonizing!)

Variants and Related Words

• Xót ruột (adj): To feel a pang of regret, pity, or distress. Similar to "rát ruột" but sometimes implies a slightly softer, more pitying pain.
  • Xót ruột nhìn cảnh nghèo khó. (To feel pained seeing the scene of poverty.)
• Nóng ruột (adj): To feel anxious, restless, or impatient.
  • Nóng ruột chờ tin. (To be anxiously waiting for news.)

Synonyms

• Đau lòng: To be heartbroken, pained in the heart.
• Tiếc nuối: To feel regret, to rue.
• Quặn lòng: To have a wrenching feeling in one's heart (often from grief or pity).

Related Idioms

• Rát như cào: (To feel) as burning as being scratched. An intensified form emphasizing the acute, scratching nature of the mental anguish.
  • Nghe tin ấy, lòng tôi rát như cào. (Hearing that news, my heart felt as if it were being scratched.)
• Nóng ruột nóng gan: To be extremely anxious and impatient (literally: hot intestines, hot liver). This idiom focuses more on anxiety than regret.

1. Be in agony
   • Tiêu nhiều tiền quá rát ruột
     To be in agony at the sight of too much money being spent