Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To test someone's heart/feelings: To deliberately create a situation or ask a question to discover the true nature of someone's feelings, loyalty, or intentions.
   • To probe someone's sincerity: To examine or investigate whether someone's professed emotions or commitments are genuine.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Cô ấy tạo ra tình huống đó chỉ để thử lòng anh ta. (She created that situation just to test his feelings.)
  • Đừng thử lòng tôi nữa. Tình cảm của tôi là thật. (Don't test my sincerity anymore. My feelings are real.)
  • Anh ấy hỏi câu đó để thử lòng bạn bè. (He asked that question to probe his friends' loyalty.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies a deliberate, sometimes manipulative, action to uncover hidden truths about a person's character or emotional state. It can be used in contexts of love, friendship, or trust.
• "Thử lòng dạ": A variant with similar meaning, emphasizing the testing of one's inner mind and heart.
  • Câu chuyện ngụ ngôn đó là để thử lòng dạ con người. (That fable is meant to test people's hearts.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thử thách (v/n): to challenge; a challenge. This is broader and often refers to testing abilities or endurance, not specifically feelings.
  • Công việc mới là một thử thách lớn. (The new job is a big challenge.)
• Dò xét (v): to probe, to investigate. More general and can be less personal than "thử lòng."

Synonyms

• To test someone's sincerity
• To probe someone's feelings
• To sound someone out (idiomatic)

Related Idioms

• "Thử vàng bằng lửa, thử người bằng gian nguy": A proverb meaning "Gold is tested by fire, people are tested by danger/adversity."
  • Anh ta đã vượt qua khó khăn, đúng là thử vàng bằng lửa. (He overcame the hardship, truly proving the saying "gold is tested by fire.")