ngã ngồi
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To fall and land in a sitting position: This describes the action of losing one's balance and falling directly onto the buttocks or the ground in a seated posture. It often implies an ungraceful, sudden, or accidental fall from a standing or walking position.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase: (The boy slipped on a banana peel and fell sitting down onto the ground.) (The old woman was pushed and fell into a sitting position on the sidewalk.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase can be used figuratively to express being extremely surprised, shocked, or overwhelmed by news or an event, metaphorically suggesting one is "knocked into a sitting position." (Upon hearing the news of the company's bankruptcy, he almost fell over [in shock].)
Variants and Related Words
- Ngã (v): to fall. The core verb for falling. (Be careful or you'll fall!)
- Té ngồi (v): a common synonym in Southern Vietnamese, meaning to fall into a sitting position. (He fell sitting down into the swimming pool.)
Synonyms
- To fall on one's backside: a direct synonym.
- To land on one's bottom: a more informal synonym.
- To take a seat (figurative, for a sudden fall): a humorous or euphemistic way to describe the action.
Related Idioms
- While "ngã ngồi" itself is descriptive, it is often used in the idiom "suýt ngã ngồi" or "muốn ngã ngồi" to mean "to be flabbergasted" or "to be so surprised one almost falls over." (I was flabbergasted when I found out the result.)