Definition

1. Verb:
   • To derail: The primary meaning of "trật bánh" is for a train, tram, or other rail vehicle to leave the tracks it is running on.
   • To go off the rails: This is a literal description of the event where wheels are no longer on the rails.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đoàn tàu chở hàng bị trật bánh do đường ray hư hỏng. (The freight train derailed due to damaged tracks.)
  • Một toa trong đoàn tàu đã trật bánh khi vào ga. (One carriage in the train derailed while entering the station.)
  • Tai nạn xảy ra khi xe điện bị trật bánh. (The accident happened when the tram derailed.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm trật bánh": to cause to derail.
  • Vật cản trên đường ray có thể làm trật bánh cả đoàn tàu. (An obstacle on the track can cause the entire train to derail.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sự trật bánh (Noun): A derailment.
  • Sự trật bánh của đoàn tàu đã được điều tra. (The derailment of the train was investigated.)
• Trật (Verb): To be dislocated, to be out of joint. This is the core verb meaning "to be off/dislocated," which combines with "bánh" (wheel) to form the specific term.
• Bánh xe (Noun): Wheel. In this compound, "bánh" specifically refers to the wheels of the rail vehicle.

Synonyms

• Bị lệch khỏi đường ray: To be shifted off the rails. (A descriptive phrase, not a single-word synonym).
• Tuột khỏi đường ray: To slip off the rails. (Another descriptive phrase).

Related Idioms and Figurative Use

• "trật bánh" (figurative): While primarily literal, it can be used metaphorically to describe a plan, project, or situation that has gone seriously off course or failed catastrophically, similar to the English "to go off the rails."
  • Kế hoạch kinh doanh của họ đã hoàn toàn trật bánh. (Their business plan has completely gone off the rails.)