hỏng chân
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To slip, to lose one's footing: To make a misstep while walking or moving, often resulting in a stumble or fall. This is the primary and most common meaning.
- To fail, to go wrong (figurative, less common): Used metaphorically to indicate that a plan or situation has gone awry or failed.
Usage Examples
Literal meaning (to slip):
- Cẩn thận kẻo hỏng chân trên đường trơn. (Be careful not to slip on the slippery road.)
- Anh ấy bị hỏng chân và ngã xuống cầu thang. (He lost his footing and fell down the stairs.)
Figurative meaning (to go wrong):
- Kế hoạch của họ đã hỏng chân ngay từ đầu. (Their plan went wrong from the very beginning.)
Advanced Usage
- "hỏng chân hỏng tay": A common extended phrase meaning to be clumsy or to fumble, often used when someone is nervous or unskilled, causing them to drop things or make mistakes with their hands and feet.
- Cô ấy lo lắng quá nên hỏng chân hỏng tay, làm đổ cả ly nước. (She was so nervous that she fumbled and spilled the entire glass of water.)
Variants and Related Words
- Trượt chân: A more standard synonym for "to slip" or "to skid."
- Mất đà: To lose momentum or balance.
- Vấp: To trip over something.
- Hụt chân: To miss a step (e.g., on stairs).
Synonyms
- Slip: Trượt.
- Stumble: Vấp ngã, loạng choạng.
- Lose one's footing: Mất thăng bằng chân.
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
Note: As a verb phrase itself, "hỏng chân" does not combine with other particles to form distinct phrasal verbs. Its meaning is contained within the phrase.
Related Idioms
- Chân nam đá chân xiêu: An idiom describing an unsteady, staggering gait, often due to injury or intoxication. It shares a conceptual similarity with losing stable footing.
- Đi một đằng hỏng một nẻo: An idiom meaning things have gone completely off course or awry, related to the figurative use of "hỏng."