Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Vagrant, wandering: Describes a person who has no fixed home or job and moves from place to place, often living a transient or nomadic life.
   • Drifting, rootless: Can describe a general state of wandering without a clear destination or purpose.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy sống một cuộc đời lưu lãng khắp các thành phố. (He lived a vagrant life wandering through cities.)
  • Tâm hồn lưu lãng của người nghệ sĩ không chịu ở yên một chỗ. (The artist's wandering soul refused to stay in one place.)

Advanced Usage

• "Sống lưu lãng": to live as a vagrant/drifter.

  • Sau biến cố, ông ấy chọn sống lưu lãng. (After the incident, he chose to live as a drifter.)

• "Kiếp lưu lãng": a vagrant/drifting existence.

  • Nhân vật chính trong truyện mang một kiếp lưu lãng đầy bí ẩn. (The main character in the story leads a mysterious, drifting existence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lưu lạc (verb/adjective): to be displaced, to live in exile; displaced, exiled. (Note: While related, "lưu lạc" often implies being forced away from home due to war or disaster, whereas "lưu lãng" focuses more on the voluntary or inherent state of wandering.)
• Lang thang (verb): to wander, to roam. (This is a more common and general synonym for the action of wandering.)

Synonyms

• Vô gia cư: homeless (emphasizes the lack of a home).
• Du cư: nomadic (emphasizes moving according to tradition or season).
• Phiêu bạt: to drift, to lead a wandering life (similar in meaning, often used in literary contexts).

Notes on Meaning

• Historical/Literary Connotation: The word "lưu lãng" carries an archaic or literary tone. In modern Vietnamese, "lang thang" is more commonly used for "wandering," while "lưu lãng" often implies a deeper, more existential or romanticized state of rootlessness, sometimes associated with artists or free spirits.
• Not a Phrasal Verb: As an adjective, "lưu lãng" does not form phrasal verbs. The related action is typically expressed by the verb "lang thang" or "sống lưu lãng."

1. Vagrant