Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Stunned, dumbfounded, stupefied: Describes a state of being so shocked, surprised, or bewildered that one becomes momentarily motionless and speechless, as if frozen. It implies a temporary loss of the ability to think or react normally due to an unexpected event or piece of information.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nghe tin đó, anh ấy ngẩn người ra một lúc lâu. (Hearing that news, he was stunned for a long moment.)
  • Cô ấy đứng ngẩn người trước cảnh tượng hỗn loạn. (She stood dumbfounded before the chaotic scene.)
  • Tôi ngẩn người vì câu trả lời bất ngờ của cô ấy. (I was stupefied by her unexpected answer.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngẩn người ra": This is the most common collocation, emphasizing the outward, visible state of being stunned. The particle "ra" highlights the resulting condition.
  • Cậu bé ngẩn người ra khi thấy món quà. (The boy was dumbstruck when he saw the gift.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngẩn (adj): The root word, meaning stunned or bewildered. "Ngẩn người" is an intensified form.
  • Anh ta nhìn với vẻ mặt ngẩn. (He looked with a bewildered expression.)

Synonyms

• Sửng sốt (adj): Astonished, amazed (often with a stronger element of surprise).
• Kinh ngạc (adj): Astonished, astounded.
• Choáng váng (adj): Dizzy, reeling (can imply physical dizziness from shock).

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Đứng hình: A modern, colloquial idiom meaning "to freeze like a statue," very similar in meaning to "ngẩn người."
  • Nghe xong tuyên bố, cả phòng đứng hình. (After hearing the announcement, the whole room froze.)
• Hóa đá: Literally "to turn to stone," used figuratively to mean to be petrified with shock or fear.
  • Cô ấy hóa đá vì sợ hãi. (She was petrified with fear.)

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