Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To fall flat on one's face; to fall sprawling; to fall full length: Describes the action of falling forward suddenly and heavily, often with the entire body stretched out and hitting the ground. It implies a loss of balance resulting in an uncontrolled, complete, and often embarrassing fall.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase: (He slipped on a banana peel and fell flat on his face.) (The boy was running too fast, tripped over a tree root, and fell sprawling.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used to emphasize the suddenness, completeness, and sometimes the clumsiness or force of the fall. It is more vivid and descriptive than a simple word for "to fall" (ngã).
• It can be used figuratively to describe a sudden and complete failure or setback in non-physical contexts, though this is less common. (That company fell flat on its face / crashed and burned after the financial scandal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngã bổ nhoài: This is the full, more common form. "Bổ nhoài" is typically used after "ngã" (to fall).
• Bổ chổng: To fall backwards or head over heels.
• Bổ nhào: To plunge or dive forward (can be a deliberate or accidental fall).

Synonyms

• Ngã sấp: To fall forward, to fall prone.
• Ngã dúi: To fall forward, often with the head or face hitting first.
• Té bửa (Southern Vietnamese): To fall flat, to take a bad fall.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Bổ nhoài xuống đất: To fall flat on the ground.
• Bổ nhoài về phía trước: To fall sprawling forward.

Related Idioms

• While "bổ nhoài" itself is descriptive, it is used in expressions that paint a vivid picture of misfortune or accident. (A humorous way to say someone is having a streak of bad luck where nothing goes right, and everything they do ends in a sprawling fall/failure.)

1. Full length
   • Ngã bổ nhoài
     To fall full length