Tiếng Việt · Slang Attested

té ngửa

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To fall over backwards — figuratively floored by a reveal, usually one that rewrites what you thought you knew.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Bất ngờ, bị sốc bởi một tiết lộ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: fall flat on one's back

Where it’s used: More common Miền Nam · Southern Vietnam

Examples

Tới lúc tính tiền mới té ngửa là quán không nhận thẻ.Only at the register did I discover — floored — that the place was cash-only.

Editorial example (batch 046)

Sources & notes

Discovered via slangviet.com (headword reference only; definition and example written independently for Idiomer). Retrieved 2026-08-05. Reference page: slangviet.com/phrases/te-ngua.

Common questions

What does “té ngửa” mean?

To fall over backwards — figuratively floored by a reveal, usually one that rewrites what you thought you knew. Literally: fall flat on one's back

Is “té ngửa” formal or informal?

té ngửa is generally informal.

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