trệch
Definition
Verb:
- To deviate / to veer off: To move away from an intended path, direction, or correct position.
- To be misaligned / to be off: To not be in the correct or proper alignment; to be out of place.
- To miss / to omit: To fail to hit a target or to unintentionally leave something out.
Adjective:
- Off-target / inaccurate: Describing something that is not on the correct line, mark, or point of aim.
- Derailed: Describing a train or similar vehicle that has come off its tracks.
Usage Examples
Verb:
- Xe tải trệch khỏi làn đường. (The truck veered off its lane.)
- Dòng chữ bị trệch lên trên. (The line of text is misaligned upward.)
- Anh ấy không trệch một buổi họp nào. (He did not miss a single meeting.)
Adjective:
- Đường đạn bị trệch. (The bullet's trajectory was off-target.)
- Đoàn tàu bị trệch bánh. (The train was derailed.)
Advanced Usage
"trệch hướng": to go off course, to deviate from the direction.
- Con thuyền trệch hướng vì bão. (The boat went off course because of the storm.)
"viết trệch dòng": to write on the wrong line (e.g., not on the notebook line).
- Học sinh mới tập viết hay bị viết trệch dòng. (Students who are new to writing often write on the wrong line.)
Variants and Related Words
- Trẹo (adj/v): Often used similarly in some dialects to mean twisted, crooked, or sprained.
- Trệch choạc (adj): Describes something being widely off the mark or completely misaligned.
Synonyms
- Deviate: to depart from a course.
- Misalign: to align incorrectly.
- Miss: to fail to hit or attend.
- Derail: to cause to leave the tracks.
Related Idioms
- Trệch đường trệch hướng: To be completely off the path or course; to have gone astray (often used figuratively).
- Nếu không cẩn thận, nó sẽ trệch đường trệch hướng. (If he's not careful, he will go astray.)