Definition

1. Verb:
   • To shift the blame: To attribute one's own fault, mistake, or responsibility to another person or cause.
   • To make a false accusation: To wrongly accuse someone else for a problem one has caused.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nó tự làm hỏng máy tính nhưng lại đổ thừa cho bạn. (He broke the computer himself but shifted the blame to his friend.)
  • Đừng đổ thừa hoàn cảnh cho sự thất bại của mình. (Don't blame your failure on circumstances.)
  • Anh ấy đã đổ thừa tôi vì lỗi in ấn trong báo cáo. (He blamed me for the printing error in the report.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies a deliberate, dishonest, or cowardly act of avoiding responsibility. It is commonly used in contexts of personal arguments, workplace disputes, or analyzing failures.
• It can be used with the preposition "cho" (for/on) to specify the target of the blame, e.g., (to shift the blame onto a colleague).

Variants and Related Words

• Đổ lỗi (v): To blame. This is a more general and common synonym for assigning blame, which may or may not involve shifting one's own fault.

  • Cô ấy không nên đổ lỗi cho người khác. (She shouldn't blame others.)

• Chối tội (v): To deny guilt or responsibility.

  • Hắn chối tội mặc dù có đầy đủ bằng chứng. (He denied guilt despite having full evidence.)

Synonyms

• To blame: To assign responsibility for a fault.
• To scapegoat: To blame an individual or group for the problems of others.
• To pass the buck: To shift responsibility to someone else.

Related Idioms

• Có tật giật mình: Literally "to have a guilty conscience and startle"; used to describe someone who is quick to blame others because they are guilty themselves. This idiom is closely related to the behavior described by .
  • Anh ta cứ đổ thừa người khác, đúng là có tật giật mình. (He keeps blaming others; it's truly a case of a guilty conscience.)

1. Shift the blame for one's action on someone else
   • Đã làm vỡ cái lọ còn đổ thừa cho người khác
     To shift the blame for one's breaking the flower - vase on someone else