Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To get lost, to stray, to wander off (the path): Refers to the act of losing one's way, deviating from the intended path or direction, often while traveling or walking.
   • To be adrift, to be displaced (figuratively): Can describe a state of being lost, wandering, or living away from one's homeland or familiar place, often with a sense of melancholy or nostalgia.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (to get lost):

  • Trong rừng sâu, chúng tôi dễ dàng lạc bước. (In the deep forest, we could easily get lost.)
  • Đứa trẻ lạc bước trong siêu thị đông người. (The child got lost in the crowded supermarket.)

• Figurative meaning (to be displaced/wander):

  • Sau chiến tranh, nhiều người phải lạc bước tha hương. (After the war, many people were displaced and had to wander in foreign lands.)
  • Thân phận lạc bước nơi đất khách quê người. (The fate of being adrift in a foreign land.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a poetic or literary tone, especially in its figurative sense, conveying a sense of loss, solitude, or nostalgia.
• It is commonly used in songs, poetry, and classical literature (e.g., in "Truyện Kiều" by Nguyễn Du: "Lỡ từ lạc bước bước ra").

Variants and Related Words

• Lạc lối (verb phrase): To lose one's way. More common for literal "getting lost".
  • Tôi sợ lạc lối trong thành phố mới. (I'm afraid of getting lost in the new city.)
• Lưu lạc (verb): To live in exile, to wander; to be displaced. Closer to the figurative meaning of .
  • Cuộc đời lưu lạc của người nghệ sĩ. (The wandering life of the artist.)

Synonyms

• Đi lạc: To go astray, to get lost.
• Lang thang: To wander, to roam (often without a specific destination).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Lạc bước giang hồ: To wander the rivers and lakes (a poetic way to describe a life of wandering or adventure).
  • Chàng trai với ước mơ lạc bước giang hồ. (The young man with dreams of wandering the world.)

1. như lưu lạc