Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Missed, failed, or gone wrong due to a missed opportunity: Describes a situation, plan, or task that has failed, been spoiled, or gone awry because a crucial chance was missed or not taken.
   • (Of a person) Past the typical age for marriage; having missed the chance to marry: Describes a person, typically considered to be of an older age, who remains unmarried, often implying the suitable time for marriage has passed.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Kế hoạch kinh doanh đó đã bị nhỡ nhàng vì họ không kịp ký hợp đồng. (That business plan went awry because they failed to sign the contract in time.)
  • Cô ấy lo sợ mình sẽ nhỡ nhàng vì đã từ chối nhiều lời cầu hôn. (She fears she has missed her chance [to marry] because she rejected many proposals.)
  • Mọi việc trở nên nhỡ nhàng cả sau sự cố bất ngờ đó. (Everything went wrong after that unexpected incident.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhỡ nhàng" to describe a state of being: Often used to express a lingering sense of regret or a situation that is now difficult to rectify because the opportune moment has passed.
  • Đời người có những lúc nhỡ nhàng, không thể lấy lại được. (In life, there are times that are missed and irrecoverable.)
• Used in a comparative or lamenting tone: Frequently appears in poetic, literary, or reflective contexts to express sorrow over missed opportunities in life or love.
  • Câu chuyện tình nhỡ nhàng của họ khiến nhiều người xúc động. (Their ill-fated love story moved many people.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lỡ làng (adj): This is a direct synonym with virtually identical meanings and usage. It is often used interchangeably with "nhỡ nhàng".
  • Cuộc đời lỡ làng. (A missed-out life.)
• Lỡ dở (adj): Unfinished, incomplete, often due to an interruption. While related, it emphasizes incompletion rather than specifically missing an opportunity.
  • Công trình xây dựng lỡ dở. (The unfinished construction project.)
• Bỏ lỡ (verb): To miss (an opportunity, a chance).
  • Anh ấy đã bỏ lỡ chuyến tàu. (He missed the train.)

Synonyms

• Hỏng (adj): Failed, broken, ruined. (More general, not always due to a missed chance).
• Thất bại (adj/n): Failed, failure.
• Quá lứa (adj, specific to marriage): Past the marriageable age.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Lỡ làng nhỡ nhàng": A common paired phrase reinforcing the meaning of missed chances and regret.
  • Sự nghiệp lỡ làng nhỡ nhàng. (A completely failed and missed-out career.)
• "Nhỡ nhàng cơ hội": To miss an opportunity. (This is a phrase using "nhỡ nhàng" as a verb-like element).
  • Đừng để nhỡ nhàng cơ hội tốt này. (Don't miss out on this good opportunity.)

1. như lỡ làng