Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lost, out of place, alienated: Describes a state of being separated from one's own kind, community, or familiar environment, leading to feelings of loneliness, disorientation, and not belonging.
   • Stray, adrift: Refers to a person, animal, or thing that has strayed from its group or proper place, wandering aimlessly.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy cảm thấy lạc loài giữa những người bạn mới. (He feels lost/out of place among his new friends.)
  • Con chim non bị lạc loài khỏi đàn. (The young bird strayed from the flock.)
  • Kiếp sống lạc loài. (A stray/alienated existence.)

Advanced Usage

• "Biết thân đến bước lạc loài" (Truyện Kiều): A classical literary phrase meaning "to know one's self has reached the state of being lost/alienated," expressing profound loneliness and displacement.
• Used to describe a deep, existential sense of not belonging, often in philosophical or poetic contexts about life, society, or fate.

Variants and Related Words

• Lạc (verb/adjective): To be lost, to stray.
  • bị lạc đường (to lose one's way)
• Loài (noun): Species, kind, type.
• Lạc lõng (adjective): A close synonym meaning isolated, out of place, not fitting in.
  • cảm thấy lạc lõng (to feel isolated)

Synonyms

• Cô độc: Lonely, solitary.
• Bơ vơ: Forlorn, helpless, adrift.
• Lẻ loi: Alone, solitary.

Related Phrases

• Sống lạc loài: To live a stray/alienated life.
• Cảm giác lạc loài: A feeling of being lost/not belonging.

Related Idioms

• Như cá lạc loài: Like a fish out of water; used to describe someone who is completely out of their element or environment.
  • Ở thành phố lớn, cô ấy cảm thấy như cá lạc loài. (In the big city, she feels like a fish out of water.)

1. alone in a strange land