vỡ mộng
Definition
Adjective:
- Disillusioned: Having lost one's ideals, hopes, or positive beliefs about something, often after discovering the truth is less pleasant than imagined.
- Disenchanted: No longer feeling enthusiasm or belief in the value of something one previously admired or desired.
Verb (to become disillusioned):
- The state of having one's illusions or dreams shattered, leading to disappointment.
Usage Examples
Adjective:
- Sau nhiều năm làm việc ở đó, anh ta trở nên hoàn toàn vỡ mộng. (After many years working there, he became completely disillusioned.)
- Cô ấy cảm thấy vỡ mộng về chính trị. (She feels disenchanted with politics.)
Verb (implied state):
- Tôi đã vỡ mộng khi biết sự thật. (I was disillusioned when I learned the truth.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often describes a profound personal disappointment related to ideals, love, career, or a system (e.g., political, social).
- It implies a collapse of a previously held, often romanticized, mental construct ("mộng" meaning dream or illusion).
Variants and Related Words
Sự vỡ mộng (n): Disillusionment, disenchantment.
- Sự vỡ mộng của anh ấy là rất lớn. (His disillusionment was great.)
Làm vỡ mộng (v): To disillusion, to shatter someone's illusions.
- Kinh nghiệm đó đã làm vỡ mộng tôi. (That experience disillusioned me.)
Synonyms
- Disillusioned: Freed from false beliefs.
- Disenchanted: Disappointed after losing admiration.
- Disabused: Persuaded that an idea is false.
- Let down: Disappointed by a failure to meet expectations.
Related Idioms
Vỡ mộng tình đầu: Disillusioned with one's first love.
- Anh ấy vỡ mộng tình đầu sau cuộc chia tay. (He was disillusioned with his first love after the breakup.)
Vỡ mộng giấc mơ hoa: To have one's "flower dream" shattered (i.e., to have a beautiful, idealized dream broken).
- Cô ấy vỡ mộng giấc mơ hoa về thành phố lớn. (She had her idealized dream about the big city shattered.)