đởm

Một người lính có can đởm đứng gác trong đêm.

Definition

1. Noun (Archaic/Dialectal):
   • Gallbladder: The bodily organ that stores bile.
   • Courage / Spirit / Boldness: Used figuratively to denote mettle, bravery, or inner spirit, often in specific compound terms.

Usage Notes

• "Đởm" is a phonetic variant of the standard word "đảm" (膽). It is considered archaic or dialectal and is almost never used in isolation in modern Vietnamese. Its meaning is primarily understood through a few fixed, classical compound words.

Usage Examples

• In Compound Words:
  • can đởm (肝膽): Literally "liver and gallbladder," meaning deep, heartfelt loyalty or camaraderie.
  • thất đởm (失膽): Literally "to lose one's gallbladder," meaning to be terrified, to be scared out of one's wits.

Advanced Usage

• The word survives only in literary or formal contexts within these set phrases. Understanding "đởm" requires knowing its role in these compounds, which are borrowings from Sino-Vietnamese (Hán-Việt) vocabulary.

Variants and Related Words

• Đảm (膽): The standard, modern form of the word, meaning "gallbladder" or "courage."
  • can đảm: brave, courageous.
  • gan dạ: a common native Vietnamese synonym for bravery (using "gan" - liver).

Synonyms

• Gallbladder: The organ.
• Courage: Bravery, nerve, mettle (in the figurative sense).
• Spirit: Heart, pluck.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary contemporary relevance of "đởm" is etymological. It explains the form found in older texts or specific compounds. For all modern purposes, "đảm" is the correct and active form.