sức ì
Definition
- Noun:
- Inertia: The physical property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force. This is the direct scientific meaning.
- Mental or psychological inertia: A state of apathy, sluggishness, or resistance to change, movement, or new ideas. This is the most common figurative usage.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Sức ì của vật thể đó rất lớn. (The inertia of that object is very large.)
- Công ty đang gặp khó khăn vì sức ì trong tư duy của ban lãnh đạo. (The company is facing difficulties due to the mental inertia in the leadership's thinking.)
- Anh ấy không thể vượt qua sức ì của bản thân để bắt đầu công việc. (He couldn't overcome his own inertia to start the work.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in critiques of systems, organizations, or personal behavior to describe a passive resistance to progress or innovation.
- It can be combined with modifiers to specify the domain, e.g., (psychological inertia), (physical inertia).
Variants and Related Words
- Quán tính: This is a more technical synonym for "inertia" in the physical science context.
- Định luật quán tính của Newton. (Newton's law of inertia.)
Synonyms
- Inertia (primary synonym for both physical and figurative meanings).
- Sluggishness (for the figurative meaning).
- Apathy (for the figurative meaning related to lack of interest or energy).
- Resistance to change (for the figurative meaning).
Related Idioms and Phrases
- While "sức ì" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is commonly used in phrases like:
- Phá vỡ sức ì: to break the inertia.
- Chúng ta cần một giải pháp mạnh để phá vỡ sức ì. (We need a strong solution to break the inertia.)
- Vượt qua sức ì: to overcome inertia.
- Vượt qua sức ì ban đầu là bước khó nhất. (Overcoming the initial inertia is the hardest step.)