đành
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adverb:
- Resignedly / Reluctantly: Used to express acceptance of an undesirable or unavoidable situation, often with a sense of having no better alternative.
- Obviously / Of course: Used to concede a point or acknowledge something as evident or logically necessary.
Verb (archaic/formal):
- To resign oneself to / To reconcile oneself to: To accept something unpleasant that one cannot change.
Usage Examples
Adverb (Resignedly):
- Không có áo bông đành chịu rét. (For want of a cotton-padded coat, he resigned himself to suffer from the cold.)
- Xe hỏng rồi, đành đi bộ vậy. (The car broke down, so we'll just have to walk [resignedly].)
Adverb (Obviously):
- Đành rằng anh ấy có lỗi, nhưng anh ấy cũng đã xin lỗi rồi. (Granted/Obviously he was at fault, but he has already apologized.)
- Muốn giỏi, đành phải luyện tập nhiều. (If you want to be good, you obviously have to practice a lot.)
Advanced Usage
"Đành lòng": To be willing (often reluctantly) to accept; to reconcile one's heart/mind to something.
- Cô ấy không đành lòng bỏ đứa bé khóc một mình. (She couldn't bring herself to leave the crying baby alone.)
"Đành phải" / "Đành phải...": A common structure meaning "have no choice but to..." or "must reluctantly...".
- Trời mưa, chúng tôi đành phải hủy buổi dã ngoại. (It was raining, so we had no choice but to cancel the picnic.)
Variants and Related Words
- Đành hanh / Đanh đá (adj): Sharp-tongued, shrewish, tart (describes a person, usually a woman, with a harsh, scolding manner).
- Bà ta nổi tiếng là người đanh đá. (She is famous for being sharp-tongued.)
Synonyms
- Resignedly: Reluctantly, with resignation.
- Grudgingly: In a reluctant or unwilling manner.
- Necessarily: As a necessary result; inevitably.
- Concededly: Admittedly.
Related Idioms
"Đành đoạn": To settle a matter definitively, often with a sense of finality or sacrifice.
- Họ đành đoạn chia tay. (They finally/resignedly broke up.)
"Biết đành" / "Chịu đành": To know and accept (an unpleasant fact).
- Biết đành là vậy, nhưng trong lòng vẫn buồn. (I know and accept that's how it is, but I'm still sad inside.)
- Make up one's mind t, reconcile oneself to, resign oneself tọ
- Không có áo bông đành chịu rétFor want of a cotton-padded coat, he resigned himself to suffer from cold
- đanh đá
- Sharp-tongued, shrewish