Definition

1. Verb:

   • To lose one's bearings, to become disoriented: To no longer know the correct direction or position, often while traveling or moving in an unfamiliar area.
   • To be misguided, to lose one's way (figuratively): To deviate from the correct path, principle, or goal in life or thought.

2. Adjective:

   • Lost, disoriented: Describing a state of being confused about direction or position.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • Chúng tôi bị lạc hướng trong rừng sâu. (We lost our bearings in the deep forest.)
  • Anh ấy đã lạc hướng sau khi rời khỏi công ty cũ. (He became misguided after leaving his old company.)

• Adjective:

  • Những du khách lạc hướng đang tìm đường về khách sạn. (The lost/disoriented tourists are trying to find their way back to the hotel.)
  • Một tư tưởng lạc hướng có thể dẫn đến nhiều hậu quả. (A misguided ideology can lead to many consequences.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm lạc hướng" / "đánh lạc hướng": To mislead, to divert attention or direction.
  • Tên trộm cố tình đánh lạc hướng cảnh sát. (The thief intentionally misled the police.)
  • Bài báo đó có mục đích làm lạc hướng dư luận. (That article aims to mislead public opinion.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lạc lối (Verb/Adj): To get lost, to lose one's way. Often used interchangeably with "lạc hướng" but can imply a more general state of being lost.
• Lạc đề (Verb): To digress, to go off-topic. (Literally: to lose the subject).
• Phương hướng (Noun): Direction, orientation. The word "hướng" in "lạc hướng".

Synonyms

• Đi lầm đường: To go the wrong way.
• Mất phương hướng: To lose one's sense of direction.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Lạc hướng đi: To lose the way to go. (Emphasizes the path).
  • Trong thành phố mới, tôi dễ dàng lạc hướng đi. (In the new city, I easily lose my way.)

Related Idioms

• (Không có a specific idiom with "lạc hướng" as the core component. The concept is often expressed directly.)

1. Lose one's bearing