ngã ngửa

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋaː˦ˀ˥ ŋɨə˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋaː˧˨ ŋɨə˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋaː˨˩˦ ŋɨə˨˩˦]

Verb

ngã ngửa

1. to get extremely surprised, due to the unexpected.

   Synonym: té ngửa

   Near-synonym: hớp hồn

   Cả giáo xứ ngã ngửa trước tin vị linh mục ấy vừa qua đời.

   The entire fellow was astonished by the announcement of the priest's very death.

Usage notes

• Not to confuse with the verbal phrase, ngã ngựa.