Definition

1. Verb:
   • To fall on one's back: To physically fall backward, landing with one's back on the ground.
   • To be taken aback, to be astounded: To be completely shocked or surprised by an unexpected event or piece of news.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ấy trượt chân trên sàn ướt và ngã ngửa. (He slipped on the wet floor and fell on his back.)
  • Nghe tin công ty phá sản, tôi suýt ngã ngửa. (Hearing the news of the company's bankruptcy, I was almost taken aback.)

Advanced Usage

• Used figuratively to express extreme surprise or shock: The figurative meaning is very common and often implies the news or event is so surprising it metaphorically "knocks you over."
  • Cả nhóm ngã ngửa khi biết kết quả. (The whole group was astounded when they learned the result.)
• Often used with adverbs like "suýt" (almost) or "tưởng" (to think/expect) to emphasize the unexpected nature.
  • Tưởng anh ấy đã đi, ai ngờ vẫn còn ở đây, làm tôi ngã ngửa. (I thought he had left; who would have guessed he was still here, it completely shocked me.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngã (v): To fall.
• Sửng sốt (v): To be stunned, astonished (a close synonym for the figurative sense).
• Kinh ngạc (v): To be amazed, astonished.

Synonyms

• Bất ngờ (v/adj): To be surprised; unexpected.
• Sốc (v, from English "shock"): To be shocked.
• Choáng váng (v): To be dizzy, staggered (can be used figuratively for shock).

Related Phrases

• Làm ai ngã ngửa: To astonish someone, to take someone aback.
  • Tin tức đó làm cả phòng họp ngã ngửa. (That news astonished the whole meeting room.)

Related Idioms

• Ngã ngửa ra (mà chết): An intensified, sometimes humorous expression meaning to be so shocked one could die from it.
  • Biết giá căn hộ, tôi ngã ngửa ra! (When I found out the apartment's price, I was utterly flabbergasted!)

1. Fall on one's back
2. Be taken aback by something which comes as a complete surprise