Definition

1. Verb:
   • To bog down / To get stuck (in mud): The primary, literal meaning describes a vehicle, animal, or person sinking and becoming stuck in soft, wet ground like mud or a swamp.
   • To get bogged down / To become mired / To be deadlocked: The figurative meaning describes a situation, process, or discussion that has stalled, become stuck in difficulties, or cannot progress.

Usage Examples

• Verb (Literal):
  • Xe tải sa lầy ở đường bùn. (The lorry got bogged down on the muddy road.)
• Verb (Figurative):
  • Cuộc đàm phán đã sa lầy trong những chi tiết nhỏ. (The negotiations got bogged down in minor details.)
  • Dự án xây dựng bị sa lầy vì thiếu vốn. (The construction project became mired due to a lack of funding.)

Advanced Usage

• "sa lầy vào": To sink into / To become mired in. This structure is often used with abstract nouns.
  • Công ty đang sa lầy vào các vụ kiện tụng. (The company is sinking into lawsuits.)
  • Anh ấy sa lầy vào nợ nần. (He became mired in debt.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lầy lội (adj): Muddy, swampy.
  • Con đường lầy lội sau cơn mưa. (The road is muddy after the rain.)
• Vũng lầy (n): A swamp, a quagmire (both literal and figurative).
  • Thoát khỏi vũng lầy chính trị. (To escape the political quagmire.)

Synonyms

• Literal: To get stuck, to be mired.
• Figurative: To stall, to deadlock, to be entangled, to be embroiled.

Related Idioms

• Càng sa càng lầy: The more you struggle, the deeper you sink. Equivalent to "digging yourself into a deeper hole."
  • Anh ấy nói dối và giờ thì càng sa càng lầy. (He told a lie and now he's just digging himself into a deeper hole.)

verb

1. to bog down
   • xe tải sa lầy ở đường bùn
     tho lorry (got) bogged down on a muddy road