Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To turn away, to turn in another direction: Describes the physical action of turning one's head, face, or body away from something or someone.
   • To ignore, to neglect, to disregard: Used figuratively to describe the act of ignoring someone or neglecting a responsibility.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (to turn away):

  • Tôi gọi cô ấy, nhưng cô ấy cứ ngoảnh đi. (I called her, but she just turned away.)
  • Cậu bé ngoảnh đi để tránh nhìn cảnh tượng đáng sợ. (The boy turned away to avoid looking at the frightening scene.)

• Figurative meaning (to ignore/neglect):

  • Đừng ngoảnh đi trước những khó khăn của bạn bè. (Don't turn away from your friends' difficulties.)
  • Câu tục ngữ "Cha mẹ ngoảnh đi thì con dại" cảnh báo về hậu quả của sự lơ là. (The proverb "When parents neglect their children, they turn foolish" warns of the consequences of neglect.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngoảnh đi ngoảnh lại": This reduplicative phrase emphasizes a quick, repeated turning away or, more commonly, signifies the passage of a very short amount of time ("in the blink of an eye").
  • Ngoảnh đi ngoảnh lại, đứa trẻ đã lớn khôn. (In the blink of an eye, the child has grown up.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoảnh (verb): To turn (one's head/body). This is the root verb.
  • Anh ấy ngoảnh lại nhìn tôi. (He turned to look at me.)
• Ngoảnh mặt (verb phrase): To turn one's face away (often implies rejection or refusal).
  • Cô ấy ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ. (She turned her face away, pretending not to see.)
• Ngảnh đi (verb phrase): A common variant spelling and pronunciation of "ngoảnh đi".

Synonyms

• Quay đi (verb phrase): To turn away (neutral, often literal).
• Lờ đi (verb phrase): To ignore, to disregard (figurative).
• Bỏ mặc (verb): To neglect, to abandon.

Related Idioms

• Ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ: To turn one's face away and pretend not to see; to deliberately ignore.
  • Không thể ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ trước nỗi đau của đồng bào. (One cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of compatriots.)

1. Turn in another direction, turn away
   • Gọi ai mà người ta cứ ngoảnh đi
     To call to someone who keeps turning away
2. Neglect
   • Cha mẹ ngoảnh đi thì con dại
     When the parents neglect the children, they turn foolish