dật dờ
Definition
- Adjective:
- Wandering aimlessly; drifting; floating without direction: Describes a state of moving or existing in an uncertain, unsteady, or purposeless manner, often slowly and lightly.
- Vacant; distracted; absent-minded: Describes a mental state of being lost in thought, dazed, or not fully conscious of one's surroundings, often due to preoccupation, fatigue, or sorrow.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Chiếc lá khô dật dờ trên mặt nước. (The dry leaf drifted aimlessly on the water's surface.)
- Ánh mắt cô ấy dật dờ, xa xăm sau tin buồn. (Her eyes were vacant and distant after the sad news.)
- Tâm trí anh dật dờ, không thể tập trung vào công việc. (His mind was wandering; he couldn't concentrate on his work.)
Advanced Usage
- Often used to describe the movement of light, intangible, or insubstantial things (like shadows, spirits, thoughts) or the unfocused state of a person's mind or gaze.
- It conveys a poetic sense of melancholy, ghostliness, or ethereal uncertainty.
Variants and Related Words
- Dật dương (adj): A less common variant with a similar meaning of swaying or floating unsteadily.
Synonyms
- Drifting: Moving passively without control.
- Vacant: Showing no sign of thought or awareness.
- Distracted: Unable to concentrate because the mind is preoccupied.
- Haggard: Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Hồn dật dờ: A wandering soul; a state of being spiritually or mentally adrift.
- Cả ngày hôm nay, tôi như hồn dật dờ. (All day today, I've been like a wandering soul.)
- Dật dờ như ma trơi: Drifting like a will-o'-the-wisp; describing something elusive, ghostly, or insubstantial.