bổ nhoài
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- 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.)
- Full length
- Ngã bổ nhoàiTo fall full length