Definition

1. Noun:
   • The deepest, most secret part of one's heart or mind: Refers to one's most intimate, hidden thoughts, feelings, or intentions that are not easily shared or revealed.
   • The very core or essence of a matter: Can describe the most fundamental, crucial, or hidden point of an issue.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy nói đúng tim đen của tôi. (He spoke directly to my innermost thoughts.)
  • Nhà văn ấy có khả năng chạm tới tim đen của nhân vật. (That writer has the ability to touch the deepest core of his characters.)
  • Đừng cố đoán tim đen của người khác. (Don't try to guess the most secret thoughts of others.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is almost exclusively used in the figurative idiom "đoán/nói/trúng tim đen" (to guess/speak/hit the innermost heart), meaning to accurately identify or articulate someone's most private feelings or the central truth of a situation.
  • Lời phê bình của cô ấy đã trúng tim đen của vấn đề. (Her criticism hit the very heart of the matter.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lòng đen (n): Literally "black pupil (of the eye)"; sometimes used poetically in a similar, though less common, figurative sense for something central or deeply hidden.

Synonyms

• Innermost heart: The most private part of one's emotions.
• Core: The central or most important part.
• Secret heart: One's hidden feelings or intentions.

Related Idioms

• Đoán trúng tim đen: To guess someone's innermost thoughts correctly.
  • Tôi giật mình vì cô ấy đoán trúng tim đen tôi. (I was startled because she guessed my innermost thoughts correctly.)