Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Scattered, dispersed: Refers to people, objects, or collections that have been separated and spread out in different directions, often due to a disruptive event, and are difficult to locate or gather again.
   • Lost, missing: Describes items, especially documents or artifacts, that have been misplaced or lost from a collection, often implying they are now in unknown locations.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Sách quý của thư viện đã bị thất tán sau chiến tranh. (The library's precious books were scattered/lost after the war.)
  • Gia đình họ thất tán khắp nơi. (Their family was scattered everywhere.)
  • Nhiều tài liệu lịch sử vẫn còn thất tán. (Many historical documents are still missing/dispersed.)

Advanced Usage

• Used primarily in formal or literary contexts to describe the state of being scattered, often with a connotation of loss, chaos, or irreversible separation.
• Commonly describes the fate of families, populations, or collections of items after events like war, migration, or disaster.

Variants and Related Words

• Tan tác (adj): scattered in panic, dispersed in disorder. This word emphasizes a more chaotic and sudden scattering than .
  • Đàn chim tan tác khi nghe tiếng súng. (The flock of birds scattered in panic at the sound of the gunshot.)

Synonyms

• Scattered: Distributed over a wide area.
• Dispersed: Spread over a large area.
• Lost: Unable to be found.

Related Idioms

• While itself is not typically part of a common idiom, it is conceptually related to the phrase:
  • Mỗi người một ngả: Literally "each person a different way/path," meaning the group has split up and gone in separate directions.

    • Sau buổi họp lớp, mọi người chia tay mỗi người một ngả. (After the class reunion, everyone parted ways, each going their own direction.)