mắc cạn
Definition
- Verb:
- To run aground; to be stranded; to get stuck (in shallow water): The primary meaning of "mắc cạn" describes a ship or boat becoming immobilized because the water is too shallow, causing it to touch the bottom. It implies being stuck or grounded.
- To fail; to be thwarted (figurative): In an extended, figurative sense, it can describe a plan, project, or effort that becomes stuck or fails to progress, similar to a vessel being stranded.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Con tàu mắc cạn gần bờ biển. (The ship ran aground near the coastline.)
- Do nước rút, chiếc thuyền đánh cá đã bị mắc cạn. (Because the tide went out, the fishing boat was stranded.)
- Dự án kinh doanh của họ mắc cạn vì thiếu vốn. (Their business project got stuck due to a lack of capital.)
Advanced Usage
- "làm mắc cạn": to cause to run aground; to strand.
- Cơn bão đã làm mắc cạn nhiều tàu thuyền. (The storm caused many boats to run aground.)
Variants and Related Words
Mắc kẹt (v): to be stuck, trapped (general, not specific to water).
- Xe ô tô bị mắc kẹt trong bùn. (The car got stuck in the mud.)
Cạn (adj): shallow; dry; depleted (of water or resources).
- Giếng nước đã cạn. (The well has run dry.)
Synonyms
- To run aground: (for vessels) to touch bottom in shallow water.
- To be stranded: to be left stuck or helpless.
- To be grounded: (nautical) to be stuck on the seabed.
- To founder: to fill with water and sink, but often used similarly for failure.
Related Idioms
- Mắc cạn như thuyền không bến: to be stranded like a boat without a harbor (to be in a helpless, stuck situation).
- Công ty phá sản, ông ấy cảm thấy mình mắc cạn như thuyền không bến. (The company went bankrupt, and he felt stranded like a boat without a harbor.)