Definition

1. Verb phrase:

   • To drift down the river: To be carried away by the current of a river, moving passively with the flow of the water.
   • To be cast adrift on a river: To be set afloat or abandoned on a river, often implying a lack of control or deliberate disposal.

2. Noun phrase (derogatory, archaic):

   • A river drifter: A vulgar and offensive term used as an insult, historically referring to a woman of loose morals or a prostitute, likening her to something worthless cast into the river.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Chiếc bè gỗ trôi sông. (The wooden raft drifted down the river.)
  • Người ta thả hoa đăng trôi sông trong lễ hội. (People release floating lanterns to drift down the river during the festival.)
• Noun phrase (insult):
  • Đồ trôi sông! (You river drifter!)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can be used metaphorically to describe a person or thing that is adrift, aimless, or without a stable foundation in life.
  • Công việc của anh ta cứ trôi sông, chẳng có định hướng. (His career just drifts aimlessly, without any direction.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trôi (v): to drift, to float, to flow.
  • Chiếc lá trôi trên mặt nước. (The leaf floats on the water's surface.)
• Dòng sông (n): river.
• Trôi nổi (v): to drift, to float; to lead an unstable, unsettled life.
  • Nó sống một cuộc đời trôi nổi. (He lives a drifting, unsettled life.)

Synonyms

• Drift: to be carried along by currents.
• Float: to rest on the surface of a liquid.
• Derelict (for the noun form): a person abandoned by society.

Related Idioms

• Trôi theo dòng đời: To go with the flow of life; to be passive and let life carry you along.
  • Anh ấy không có kế hoạch, chỉ biết trôi theo dòng đời. (He has no plans, he just goes with the flow of life.)