Definition

1. Verb:
   • To lament while crying: To express grief, sorrow, or regret audibly, often accompanied by tears. It combines the act of verbal complaint or mourning ("than") with the act of crying ("khóc").
   • To wail / to bewail: To cry out with sadness, typically in a loud, mournful manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Người phụ nữ than khóc trước mộ phần. (The woman lamented before the grave.)
  • Cả gia đình than khóc khi nghe tin dữ. (The whole family wailed upon hearing the bad news.)
  • Đừng than khóc cho những gì đã mất. (Do not bewail what is lost.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often implies a public or demonstrative expression of grief, more intense than quiet crying. It is commonly used in contexts of significant loss, tragedy, or funeral rites.

Variants and Related Words

• Than van (v): to complain, to grumble (focuses more on the verbal expression of hardship than on crying).
  • Cô ấy chỉ biết than van về số phận. (She could only complain about her fate.)
• Khóc lóc (v): to cry, to weep (emphasizes the act of crying, often repeatedly or persistently).
  • Đứa trẻ khóc lóc đòi mẹ. (The child cried for its mother.)

Synonyms

• To lament: To express passionate grief.
• To wail: To utter a prolonged, high-pitched cry of pain, grief, or anger.
• To bewail: To express great regret, sadness, or disappointment about something.

Related Idioms

• Than khóc trách móc: to lament and blame; to wail while casting blame.
  • Bà ta than khóc trách móc số phận nghiệt ngã. (She lamented and blamed her cruel fate.)
• Nước mắt ngắn nước mắt dài than khóc: to cry inconsolably with many tears while lamenting.
  • Nghe tin con mất tích, bà cứ nước mắt ngắn nước mắt dài than khóc. (Upon hearing her child was missing, she cried inconsolably with lamentation.)