thuộc lòng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To know by heart: To have memorized something perfectly so that it can be recalled or recited without any external aid. It implies deep, internalized knowledge.
- To learn by heart / to memorize: The process of committing something to memory through repetition until it is known perfectly.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Tôi đã thuộc lòng bài thơ này. (I have memorized this poem by heart.)
- Học sinh cần thuộc lòng bảng cửu chương. (Students need to learn the multiplication tables by heart.)
- Cô ấy thuộc lòng số điện thoại của mẹ. (She knows her mother's phone number by heart.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often describes knowledge that is foundational, automatic, and readily accessible, such as rules, formulas, lyrics, or prayers.
- Người biểu diễn piano thuộc lòng toàn bộ bản sonata. (The pianist knows the entire sonata by heart.)
Variants and Related Words
- Học thuộc lòng (verb phrase): to study/learn something by heart. This emphasizes the learning process.
- Chúng tôi phải học thuộc lòng các công thức. (We have to learn the formulas by heart.)
Synonyms
- Memorize: to commit to memory.
- Know by rote: to know through mechanical repetition (can have a slightly negative connotation compared to ).
- Know verbatim: to know the exact words.
Related Idioms
- While "thuộc lòng" itself is a set phrase, it is conceptually related to the English idiom "to know something like the back of one's hand", which means to know something extremely well, though not necessarily from memorization.
- Thuộc lòng specifically refers to memorized verbal or written information.