đờ mặt

Một cậu bé đờ mặt khi nhận điểm kém.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Stunned; dumbfounded; blank-faced: A state of being completely bewildered, shocked, or at a loss, resulting in a vacant or expressionless face. It describes a temporary inability to react or think clearly due to surprise, confusion, or overwhelming information.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nghe tin đó, nó đờ mặt ra, không nói được lời nào. (Hearing that news, he was stunned and couldn't say a word.)
  • Bài toán khó quá, tôi đờ mặt nhìn mà không giải được. (The math problem was too hard; I looked at it dumbfounded and couldn't solve it.)
  • Cô ấy chỉ đờ mặt khi bị hỏi một câu phức tạp. (She just had a blank face when asked a complex question.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often appears with the verb "ra" (to become) as "đờ mặt ra", emphasizing the change into a stunned state.
  • Thấy màn trình diễn ảo thuật, cả khán giả đều đờ mặt ra. (Seeing the magic show, the entire audience was dumbfounded.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngớ người (adj): to be stupefied, to be dumbstruck. Similar to "đờ mặt" but may imply a more frozen, motionless state.
• Sửng sốt (adj): to be astonished, amazed. Focuses more on the feeling of shock than the facial expression.

Synonyms

• Stunned: shocked into silence or inactivity.
• Dumbfounded: greatly astonished, leaving someone speechless.
• Blank-faced: having a face that shows no understanding or emotion.

Related Idioms

• Đứng hình: (lit. to freeze in a frame) a slang idiom with a very similar meaning: to freeze in shock or surprise.
  • Nghe cô ấy nói, tôi gần như đứng hình. (Hearing her speak, I almost froze in shock.)