trật chân
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To sprain one's foot/ankle: To injure the ligaments of the foot or ankle by a sudden, unnatural twisting or wrenching motion, often resulting in pain and swelling.
- To twist one's foot/ankle: To cause the foot or ankle to turn in an awkward or unintended way, potentially leading to a sprain.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Tôi bị trật chân khi xuống cầu thang. (I sprained my ankle coming down the stairs.)
- Cẩn thận kẻo trật chân trên đường đá. (Be careful not to twist your foot on the rocky path.)
- Anh ấy trật chân trong trận đấu. (He twisted his ankle during the match.)
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is specific to the foot or ankle. For similar injuries to other joints, different terms are used (e.g., "trật tay" for wrist/hand, "trật khớp" for joint dislocation).
- It often implies a minor to moderate ligament injury, not necessarily a full dislocation (which is "trật khớp" or "sai khớp").
Variants and Related Words
Trật khớp (v): to dislocate a joint.
- Cô ấy bị trật khớp vai. (She dislocated her shoulder.)
Bong gân (n/v): sprain (noun); to have a sprain.
- Anh ấy bị bong gân mắt cá chân. (He has an ankle sprain.)
Synonyms
- Sprain one's ankle: the most direct equivalent.
- Twist one's ankle: a common descriptive synonym.
Related Idioms
- While "trật chân" itself is not typically part of a broader idiom, it is commonly used in the figurative expression:
- Trật đường ray: Literally "to derail," used figuratively to mean to go off topic or to deviate from the plan.
- Bài phát biểu của anh ấy bị trật đường ray. (His speech went off the rails.)