se lòng

Thân thiện

Một người mẹ se lòng khi nhìn con mình ngủ say.

Definition

1. Verb (Động từ):
   • To have one's heart wrung with pain; to feel a pang of sorrow or compassion: "se lòng" describes the internal feeling of one's heart being constricted or pained, typically due to sadness, pity, or deep empathy upon witnessing or thinking about a distressing situation.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nhìn cảnh đó, ai cũng se lòng. (Seeing that scene, everyone's heart was wrung with pain.)
  • Câu chuyện của cô ấy khiến tôi se lòng. (Her story made my heart ache.)
  • Nghe tin ấy, lòng tôi se lại. (Upon hearing that news, my heart constricted.)

Advanced Usage

• "lòng se lại": a variant phrasing emphasizing the heart constricting.
  • Lòng tôi se lại khi nghĩ về kỷ niệm cũ. (My heart constricts when I think of old memories.)

Variants and Related Words

• Se (Verb): To constrict, to tighten. Often used for physical objects but can be used figuratively for feelings.
  • Dây thun bị se lại. (The rubber band tightened.)
• Đau lòng (Adjective/Verb Phrase): To be heartbroken, to feel pain in one's heart. A stronger and more common synonym.
  • Tin đó thật đau lòng. (That news is truly heartbreaking.)
• Thắt lòng (Verb Phrase): To have one's heart wrenched; similar to "se lòng" but can imply a sharper, more sudden pain.
  • Cảnh tượng thật thắt lòng. (The sight is truly heart-wrenching.)

Synonyms

• Cảm thương: To feel pity/compassion.
• Xót xa: To feel sorrow, to ache (for someone/something).
• Tội nghiệp: To feel sorry for (someone), pitiful. (Often used to describe the object of pity rather than the feeling itself).

Notes on Usage

• "Se lòng" is a literary and somewhat poetic term. In everyday modern spoken Vietnamese, "đau lòng" or "thắt lòng" are more frequently used to express similar feelings of heartache or pity.
• It primarily describes an internal, emotional reaction to external suffering or sad circumstances.

Học thuật

1. Have one's heart wrung with pain