Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Luxurious and indecent; showy and vulgar: Describes something, especially clothing or appearance, that is excessively ornate, flashy, and lacking in modesty or good taste. It implies a display of wealth or style that is considered morally questionable or socially offensive.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy ăn mặc quá đài điếm cho bữa tiệc tối. (She dressed too showily/vulgarly for the dinner party.)
  • Lối trang điểm đài điếm ấy không phù hợp với môi trường công sở. (That garish/vulgar makeup style is not suitable for the office environment.)
  • Ngôi nhà được trang trí một cách đài điếm với quá nhiều đồ trang sức và màu sắc chói lọi. (The house was decorated in a gaudy/tastelessly luxurious way with too much jewelry and flashy colors.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a disapproving or critical context to comment on someone's appearance, lifestyle, or aesthetic choices that are perceived as crossing the line from elegant luxury into vulgar ostentation.
• It can describe not just clothing, but also behavior, speech, or the decoration of a space, when they are deemed excessively flashy and lacking in refinement.

Variants and Related Words

• Đài các (adj): Noble, elegant, refined. (This is a positive term, often contrasted with ).
• Điếm đàng (n/adj): A dated term for a brothel or related to prostitution; dissolute. (Shares the root with , contributing to the negative moral connotation).
• Hoa hoè loè loẹt (idiomatic phrase): Gaudy, flashy, showy in a tasteless way. (A close synonym in meaning).

Synonyms

• Loè loẹt: Flashy, garish.
• Phô trương: Ostentatious, showy.
• Cầu kỳ phản cảm: Overly elaborate and offensive to sensibilities.

Notes on Meaning

• The word combines (suggesting a pedestal, stage, or something elevated/showy) and (a character with strong negative connotations, often associated with "brothel" or "indecency" as in ). This etymology directly informs its meaning of "indecently showy."
• It is a strongly judgmental term, carrying a moral criticism about violating social norms of modesty and propriety through excessive display.

1. Luxurious and indecent
   • Ăn mặc đài điếm
     To dress in luxurious but indecent way