Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To lie up / to be laid low: To be forced to stay in bed or remain inactive, typically due to illness or exhaustion. It implies a state of being completely incapacitated and unable to perform normal activities.
   • To lie idle / to be inactive: To remain in one place without any movement or activity, often due to a lack of energy, motivation, or external circumstances forcing stillness.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Bị cúm phải nằm bẹp ở nhà. (To be laid low by influenza and have to stay at home.)
  • Sau chuyến leo núi, tôi nằm bẹp cả ngày. (After the hiking trip, I was laid up the whole day.)
  • Chiếc xe hỏng nằm bẹp trong ga-ra. (The broken-down car lies idle in the garage.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a connotation of being flattened, defeated, or rendered powerless by a situation, not just physical illness.
  • Dự án mới nằm bẹp vì thiếu ngân sách. (The new project is lying idle due to a lack of budget.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nằm co (verb phrase): To lie curled up. Often used similarly to indicate staying in bed, especially when ill.
  • Đau bụng, nó chỉ nằm co trên giường. (With a stomach ache, he just lay curled up in bed.)

Synonyms

• Be laid up: To be confined to bed due to illness.
• Be incapacitated: To be deprived of strength or power.
• Lie idle: To remain unused or inactive.

Related Idioms

• While "nằm bẹp" itself is a common phrase, it can be part of descriptive contexts implying total defeat or shutdown.
  • Sau trận thua, tinh thần đội bóng nằm bẹp. (After the loss, the football team's morale was completely flattened.)

1. Lie up, be laid low
   • Bị cúm phải nằm bẹp ở nhà
     To be laid low by influenza