thương tình

thương tình

Ông cụ thương tình cho chú chó con bị lạc.

Definition

  1. Adjective:

    • Acting out of pity or compassion: Describes an action, decision, or feeling motivated by sympathy for someone's unfortunate situation or suffering.
    • Merciful / Compassionate: Characterizes a person or their disposition as being moved by the plight of others.

  2. Adverb:

    • Out of pity / compassionately: Modifies a verb to indicate that an action is performed because one feels sorry for someone.
Usage Examples

  • Adjective:

    • Ông chủ có một quyết định thương tình và cho cô thêm thời gian trả nợ. (The boss made a compassionate decision and gave her more time to repay the debt.)
    • Đó là một hành động thương tình hiếm thấy. (That was a rare act of mercy.)

  • Adverb:

    • Thương tình, bà lão cho đứa bé ăn một bát cháo. (Out of pity, the old woman gave the child a bowl of porridge.)
    • Anh ta thương tình nhận nó vào làm, dù nó chưa có kinh nghiệm. (He compassionately hired him, even though he had no experience.)
Advanced Usage
  • The term often implies a sense of reluctant or extra-ordinary kindness granted due to perceiving hardship, rather than a standard or obligatory kindness.
  • It can be used to describe the mitigating reason behind a judgment or leniency.
    • Tòa án xử án thương tình vì hoàn cảnh khó khăn của bị cáo. (The court ruled compassionately due to the defendant's difficult circumstances.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Thương hại (v): to pity, to feel sorry for. Often carries a stronger connotation of looking down upon the subject.

    • Tôi không cần ai thương hại. (I don't need anyone's pity.)

  • Tội nghiệp (adj): pitiful, pathetic. Describes the state of the person who is the object of pity.

    • Đứa bé trông thật tội nghiệp. (The child looks so pitiful.)
Synonyms
  • Compassionate: feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others.
  • Merciful: showing or exercising mercy.
  • Out of pity: motivated by a feeling of sorrow for someone's misfortune.
Related Idioms

  • Động lòng thương: to be moved to compassion. A phrase describing the moment one's heart is touched by pity.

    • Nhìn cảnh ấy, ai cũng động lòng thương. (Seeing that scene, everyone was moved to compassion.)

  • Mủi lòng: to be soft-hearted, to be emotionally touched (often leading to a compassionate action).

    • Nghe câu chuyện của nó, tôi thấy mủi lòng. (Hearing her story, I felt my heart soften.)