tâm khảm
Definition
- Noun:
- The innermost heart; the deepest recesses of the heart or mind: Refers to the most profound, private, and sincere part of one's emotions, thoughts, or memory. It implies a place where feelings and memories are kept sacred and indelible.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Những lời dạy của thầy tôi đã khắc sâu vào tâm khảm. (My teacher's lessons are engraved in the innermost heart.)
- Ký ức đẹp về quê hương luôn ở trong tâm khảm cô ấy. (Beautiful memories of her homeland always reside in the deepest recesses of her heart.)
- Anh ấy giữ hình ảnh đó trong tâm khảm. (He keeps that image in the depths of his soul.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in literary, poetic, or formal contexts to express deep emotional or spiritual imprinting. It is often paired with verbs like "ghi" (to record), "khắc" (to engrave/carve), or "giữ" (to keep) to emphasize permanence and profundity.
Variants and Related Words
- Tâm can (n): heart and liver; conscience, innermost feelings.
- Anh ấy bày tỏ tâm can với bạn thân. (He bared his innermost feelings to his close friend.)
- Đáy lòng (n): bottom of the heart; one's true, underlying feelings.
- Từ đáy lòng, tôi biết ơn anh. (From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to you.)
Synonyms
- The core of one's being: The central, most essential part of a person.
- The depths of the soul: The most profound, spiritual part of a person.
- One's innermost heart: The most private and sincere part of one's emotions.
Related Idioms
- Ghi lòng tạc dạ / Khắc cốt ghi tâm: To engrave in the bone and inscribe in the heart; to remember something forever.
- Lời thề đó khắc cốt ghi tâm. (That vow is engraved in my bone and heart.)
- While "tâm khảm" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it is conceptually central to the idea expressed in these idioms of permanent, heartfelt remembrance.