Definition

1. Interjection/Expression:
   • Serves (someone) right: An expression used to convey that someone deserves the bad thing that has happened to them, often due to their own actions or behavior. It carries a sense of justified misfortune or poetic justice, and is typically used with a tone of schadenfreude or lack of sympathy.

Usage Examples

• Interjection/Expression:
  • Thật đáng kiếp nó! (It serves him right!)
  • Nó lừa đảo người khác, giờ bị bắt là đáng kiếp. (He deceived others, so getting arrested now serves him right.)
  • A: "Tên trộm vừa bị ngã gãy chân khi chạy trốn." B: "Đáng kiếp!" (A: "The thief just broke his leg while running away." B: "Serves him right!")

Advanced Usage

• This expression is inherently strong and judgmental. It is used in informal contexts, often in spoken Vietnamese, to comment on someone's misfortune. It implies the speaker believes the negative outcome is a direct and fair consequence of the person's prior wrong actions.

Variants and Related Words

• Đáng đời: A very close synonym with the same meaning and usage as "đáng kiếp". It can often be used interchangeably.
  • Hắn tham lam nên mất hết, thật đáng đời. (He was greedy and lost everything, it really serves him right.)

Synonyms

• Hoàn toàn xứng đáng (với hậu quả đó): Fully deserves (that consequence). (More formal/literal)
• Đáng đời: Serves right. (Direct synonym)
• Xứng đáng bị như vậy: Deserves to be like that. (Descriptive phrase)

Related Idioms/Phrases

• Gieo gió gặt bão: To sow the wind and reap the whirlwind; to face severe consequences for one's actions. This proverb explains the concept behind "đáng kiếp".
  • Hắn gieo gió thì giờ phải gặt bão, đáng kiếp thôi. (He sowed the wind, so now he must reap the whirlwind; it serves him right.)

1. như đáng đời nghĩa 1
   • Thật đáng kiếp nó!
     It serves him right