Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Stupid; foolish; lacking wisdom or good judgment: Describes a person, action, or idea that is not sensible, intelligent, or prudent.
   • Wild; feral; uncultivated: Describes plants or animals that are not domesticated, tamed, or cultivated; growing or living in a natural, untamed state.
   • Numb; lacking sensation: Describes a part of the body that has lost feeling or mobility, often due to prolonged pressure or cold.
   • Dull; vacant; lacking expression: Describes eyes or a gaze that appears lifeless, unresponsive, or without intelligence.

2. Noun:

   • Rabies: A serious viral disease that can affect the nervous system of mammals, often transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (stupid/foolish):
  • Đừng có làm những việc dại dột như thế. (Don't do foolish things like that.)
  • Nó còn trẻ và còn dại lắm. (He is still young and very foolish.)
• Adjective (wild/feral):
  • Những bụi hoa hồng dại mọc ven đường. (Wild rose bushes grow along the road.)
• Adjective (numb):
  • Ngồi xếp bằng lâu, chân tôi bị dại đi. (Sitting cross-legged for a long time, my legs went numb.)
• Adjective (dull/vacant):
  • Sau cú sốc, ánh mắt cô ấy trở nên dại đi. (After the shock, her eyes became vacant.)
• Noun (rabies):
  • Con chó đó có dấu hiệu của bệnh dại. (That dog shows signs of rabies.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngu dại": extreme foolishness or stupidity.
  • Hành động đó thật ngu dại. (That action was truly idiotic.)
• "dại gái"/"dại trai": to be foolishly infatuated with a girl/boy; to be lovesick.
  • Anh chàng đang dại gái vì cô ấy. (The guy is foolishly lovesick over her.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dại dột (adj): rash, impulsive, acting without thinking.
  • Quyết định dại dột đó khiến anh ta hối hận. (That rash decision made him regretful.)
• Khờ dại (adj): simple-minded, naive.
  • Cô ấy có vẻ khờ dại nhưng thực ra rất tinh tế. (She seems simple-minded but is actually very perceptive.)
• Chó dại (n): a rabid dog.
  • Phải tránh xa chó dại. (You must stay away from rabid dogs.)

Synonyms

• Foolish: lacking good sense or judgment.
• Feral: (especially of an animal) in a wild state.
• Numb: deprived of the power of sensation.
• Rabies: the specific viral disease.

Related Idioms

• Khôn nhà dại chợ: Literally "smart at home, foolish at the market"; describes someone who is bold or clever in familiar settings but clumsy or ineffective in public or unfamiliar situations.
  • Anh ta là kiểu người khôn nhà dại chợ. (He is the type who is smart at home but foolish in public.)
• Dại một, khôn mười: Literally "foolish once, wise ten times"; meaning one learns from one's mistakes, making future wisdom born from past folly.
  • Thất bại lần này là bài học, dại một khôn mười mà. (This failure is a lesson; you learn from your mistakes.)

adj

1. stupid; gatuous, wild, feral
   • kẻ ngu dại
     A stupid person