Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To break a promise / to fail to keep an appointment: The primary meaning of "lỗi hẹn" is to not do what one has promised to do or to not show up for an arranged meeting or commitment.
   • To default on an agreement: It implies a failure to fulfill a prior arrangement or pledge.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Anh ấy đã lỗi hẹn với tôi ba lần. (He has broken his promise/stood me up three times.)
  • Công ty lỗi hẹn về thời gian giao hàng. (The company defaulted on the delivery timeline.)
  • Xin lỗi vì đã lỗi hẹn, tôi bị kẹt xe. (Sorry for breaking our appointment, I was stuck in traffic.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a connotation of disappointment and a breach of trust. It is commonly used in both personal contexts (friends, relationships) and formal contexts (business, contracts).
• It can be used reflexively with oneself, e.g., "lỗi hẹn với chính mình" (to break a promise to oneself).

Variants and Related Words

• Thất hẹn (verb phrase): a more formal synonym meaning to fail to keep an appointment or promise.

  • Ông ta đã thất hẹn với nhà đầu tư. (He broke his promise to the investors.)

• Nuốt lời (verb): to go back on one's word, often used for verbal promises.

  • Đừng có hứa rồi lại nuốt lời. (Don't make a promise and then go back on your word.)

Synonyms

• Break a promise: to fail to keep a commitment.
• Stand someone up: to fail to meet someone for a date or appointment.
• Default on: to fail to fulfill an obligation, especially a formal one.
• Fail to keep an appointment: a direct descriptive synonym.

Related Idioms

• Hứa hươu hứa vượn: to make empty promises (literally: to promise deer, promise monkey).

  • Anh ta chỉ biết hứa hươu hứa vượn, rồi lại lỗi hẹn. (He only knows how to make empty promises and then break them.)

• Hứa như đinh đóng cột: to promise firmly (literally: to promise as firmly as a nailed pillar). This is the opposite ideal, against which "lỗi hẹn" is a failure.

  • Anh ấy hứa như đinh đóng cột nhưng cuối cùng vẫn lỗi hẹn. (He promised very firmly but still ended up breaking his word.)