Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Unlucky, unfortunate: Describes a person who experiences persistent bad luck or misfortune, often in life circumstances.
   • (Archaic/Literary) Of bad character, ill-natured: In some older or literary contexts, it can describe a person with a morally bad or wicked disposition.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy thật là một người bạc hạnh, gặp toàn chuyện không may. (She is truly an unfortunate person, encountering nothing but misfortune.)
  • Trong truyện cổ, nhân vật bạc hạnh thường được thương cảm. (In folk tales, the ill-fated character is often pitied.)
  • (Archaic usage) Hắn là kẻ bạc hạnh, chẳng ai muốn gần. (He is a man of bad character, no one wants to be near him.)

Advanced Usage

• This word is considered literary and is not commonly used in everyday modern conversation. It carries a formal, somewhat poetic tone.
• It is typically used to describe a person's overall fate or inherent luck, rather than a single unlucky event.

Variants and Related Words

• Bạc phận (adj): Ill-fated, having a miserable lot in life. Often used similarly to 'bạc hạnh' but may emphasize destiny more than luck.
• Bất hạnh (adj): Unhappy, miserable. A more common modern synonym for misfortune, but focuses more on the state of unhappiness than on inherent bad luck.
• Đen đủi (adj): Jinxed, plagued by bad luck. A more colloquial and stronger term for being unlucky.

Synonyms

• Xui xẻo: Unlucky (colloquial).
• Rủi ro: Unfortunate, risky.
• Khốn khổ: Wretched, miserable.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary and most recognized meaning in modern understanding is "unlucky" or "ill-fated".
• The secondary, archaic meaning of "having a bad character" is largely obsolete in contemporary usage but may be encountered in classical literature or historical texts. When used today, it is almost exclusively with the first meaning.

adjective

1. bad luck; misfortune