ngỡ ngàng

Thân thiện

Đứa bé ngỡ ngàng nhìn vào lồng kính chứa đầy bướm sặc sỡ.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Surprised and disoriented; taken aback: To be in a state of mild shock, confusion, or wonder due to encountering something sudden, unfamiliar, or unexpected. It describes the feeling of being momentarily lost or bewildered by a new or strange situation.
   • To be at a loss; to be at fault: In specific contexts, it can describe the feeling of being inexperienced, unaccustomed, or unsure in a new role or environment, leading to a state of slight confusion or error.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Lần đầu đến Nhật Bản, tôi cảm thấy vô cùng ngỡ ngàng. (On my first time in Japan, I felt utterly surprised and disoriented.)
  • Mới nhận công tác, còn ngỡ ngàng. (Being new to the job, one is still at a loss.)
  • Cô ấy ngỡ ngàng khi nhận được món quà bất ngờ. (She was taken aback when she received the unexpected gift.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often carries a poetic or reflective nuance, emphasizing the emotional and psychological impact of novelty or sudden change, rather than just simple surprise.
• It can describe the collective feeling of a group or a place: (The bewildered atmosphere of a small town receiving tourists.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngỡ (verb): to mistakenly think, to suppose incorrectly.
  • Tôi ngỡ anh đã về. (I thought you had already gone home.)
• Ngạc nhiên (adjective): surprised, astonished. (Note: is a more general term for surprise, while includes an element of disorientation.)

Synonyms

• Astonished: filled with sudden and great wonder.
• Bewildered: perplexed and confused.
• Disoriented: having lost one's sense of direction or familiarity.
• Taken aback: surprised and disconcerted.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Ngỡ ngàng như chim lạc bầy: To be as bewildered as a bird separated from its flock; to feel completely lost and disoriented.
  • Đi lạc trong thành phố mới, tôi ngỡ ngàng như chim lạc bầy. (Lost in the new city, I was as bewildered as a bird separated from its flock.)

Học thuật

1. At fault
   • Mới nhận công tác, còn ngỡ ngàng
     To be still at fault in one's new job