Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely frightened, terrified, scared out of one's wits: Describes a state of intense fear or terror that overwhelms a person, often causing them to lose composure or the ability to think clearly. It implies a fear so profound it feels as if one's soul or spirit has been driven away.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nghe tiếng nổ lớn, nó bạt hồn bỏ chạy. (Hearing the loud explosion, he was terrified and ran away.)
  • Câu chuyện ma khiến đứa trẻ bạt hồn, không dám ngủ một mình. (The ghost story left the child scared out of his wits, not daring to sleep alone.)
  • Cảnh tượng tai nạn khiến người chứng kiến bạt hồn. (The sight of the accident terrified the witnesses.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm bạt hồn": to terrify, to frighten someone severely.
  • Âm thanh kỳ lạ trong đêm làm bạt hồn cả gia đình. (The strange sound in the night terrified the whole family.)
• Used to emphasize an extreme emotional reaction of fear, stronger than simply "sợ" (afraid). It often describes a sudden, shocking fright.

Variants and Related Words

• Bạt vía (adj): A near-identical synonym, also meaning extremely frightened or terrified. The terms are often used interchangeably.
  • Tin đồn ấy làm dân làng bạt vía. (That rumor terrified the villagers.)
• Kinh hồn (adj): Frightened out of one's soul; horrified. Similar in intensity and meaning.
  • Phim kinh dị đó xem xong kinh hồn lắm. (That horror movie was absolutely terrifying to watch.)

Synonyms

• Khiếp sợ (adj/v): to be terrified, to dread.
• Hoảng sợ (adj/v): to be panic-stricken, to be in a state of alarm.
• Kinh hoàng (adj): horrified, appalled (often by something shocking or dreadful).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Bạt hồn bạt vía: An intensified phrase combining both words, meaning utterly and completely terrified.
  • Tiếng hú trong rừng khiến họ bạt hồn bạt vía. (The howl in the forest scared them utterly out of their wits.)
• Hồn xiêu phách lạc: An idiom meaning "soul adrift, spirit scattered," describing a state of being frightened senseless or utterly bewildered. It shares a similar conceptual idea with "bạt hồn."
  • Gặp tai nạn, ông ấy hồn xiêu phách lạc. (After the accident, he was frightened senseless.)

1. như bạt vía