Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Profoundly felt; deeply penetrating: Describes a feeling, emotion, or realization that is experienced intensely and sinks deeply into one's mind or heart, often leaving a lasting impression.
   • Poignant; keenly affecting: Refers to something, such as sorrow, pain, or a lesson, that is sharply and movingly perceptible.

2. Verb (colloquial):

   • To be sufficient; to be enough (often used negatively): Used informally to indicate that something is adequate or satisfactory, frequently implying it is not enough.
   • To be worth it; to be of significant value or impact: Suggests that an experience or consequence is meaningful or substantial.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy cảm thấy nỗi buồn thấm thía sau cuộc chia tay. (She felt profound sorrow after the breakup.)
  • Bài học từ thất bại đó thật sự thấm thía. (The lesson from that failure was truly penetrating.)
• Verb (colloquial):
  • Lương thế này chưa thấm thía vào đâu so với công sức bỏ ra. (A salary like this is nowhere near sufficient compared to the effort expended.)
  • Bị phạt một lần cho thấm thía. (To be punished once so it's truly felt/meaningful.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used to emphasize the depth and resonance of an abstract experience. As a verb in negative constructions like "chưa thấm thía vào đâu," it strongly dismisses the adequacy of something.

Variants and Related Words

• Thấm (v): to soak, to permeate, to absorb. This is the root verb conveying the idea of gradual penetration.
  • Nước mưa thấm vào áo. (The rainwater soaked into the clothes.)
• Thấm tháp (adj, v): A near-synonym, often used interchangeably in the colloquial verb sense meaning "to be sufficient."

Synonyms

• Profound (for the adjective sense).
• Poignant (for emotionally sharp feelings).
• Penetrating (for insights or feelings).
• Sufficient; Adequate (for the verb sense, though often with a negative connotation).

Related Idioms

• Thấm thía lời dạy: To deeply internalize a teaching.
  • Cậu học trò giờ mới thấm thía lời dạy của thầy. (The student only now deeply internalized the teacher's advice.)
• Chưa thấm thía vào đâu: (It) is nowhere near enough; (it) doesn't even make a dent.
  • Số tiền bồi thường ấy còn chưa thấm thía vào đâu. (That compensation amount is nowhere near sufficient.)

verb

1. to penetrate, to pervade to be worth, to be sufficient, to do