Definition

Verb: - To be mistaken; to err; to confuse: To have an incorrect understanding, perception, or judgment about something or someone. It implies a cognitive error, often unintentional, leading to a wrong conclusion or action. - To be wrong: To be in error or incorrect about a fact, situation, or person.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nếu tôi không lầm, anh ấy là bác sĩ. (If I'm not mistaken, he is a doctor.)
  • Cô ấy đã lầm tôi với chị gái của tôi. (She mistook me for my older sister.)
  • Tôi lầm khi nghĩ rằng hôm nay là chủ nhật. (I was wrong to think today was Sunday.)
  • Đừng hiểu lầm ý tôi. (Don't misunderstand my intention.)

Advanced Usage

• "lầm đường": to take the wrong road/path; to go astray (literally or figuratively).

  • Chúng tôi đã lầm đường trong rừng. (We took the wrong path in the forest.)
  • Anh ta đã lầm đường lạc lối trong cuộc đời. (He went astray in life.)

• "lầm lẫn": (verb/noun) to confuse, to mix up; confusion, error. This is a common compound emphasizing the state of being mistaken or mixed up.

  • Có sự lầm lẫn về ngày hẹn. (There was a confusion about the appointment date.)

• "tưởng lầm": to mistakenly think/believe.

  • Tôi tưởng lầm là anh đã về. (I mistakenly thought you had returned home.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lầm lỗi (noun): mistake, fault, error. (Often used in a moral or serious context).

  • Anh ấy đã nhận ra lầm lỗi của mình. (He realized his mistake/fault.)

• Lầm than (adjective): miserable, wretched, suffering. (This is a fixed literary term describing a state of hardship, distinct from the verb 'lầm').

  • Cuộc sống lầm than của người dân nghèo. (The wretched life of the poor people.)

• Sai lầm (noun): error, mistake, blunder. (A very common synonym for a mistake).

  • Phạm phải một sai lầm nghiêm trọng. (To commit a serious mistake.)

Synonyms

• Nhầm: to mistake, to confuse. (Often used interchangeably with 'lầm' in many contexts, e.g., ).
• Sai: to be wrong, incorrect.
• Hiểu sai: to misunderstand.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Lầm tưởng: to have a mistaken belief; to misconceive.
  • Đừng lầm tưởng sự im lặng của tôi là đồng ý. (Don't mistake my silence for agreement.)

Related Idioms

• "Cát lầm ngọc trắng": (Literally: sand soils white jade) A metaphor for something pure or good being tarnished or mistaken for something common.
• "Lầm đường lạc lối": to lose one's way; to go astray (both literally and morally). This is a fixed idiom.
  • Thanh niên dễ bị bạn xấu lôi kéo mà lầm đường lạc lối. (Young people can easily be led astray by bad friends.)

verb

1. to confuse; to mistake
   • nếu tôi không lầm
     If I'm not mistaken
   • lầm đường
     to mistake one's way