Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having an unhappy fate; being ill-fated: Describes a person, typically a woman in classical literature, whose life is marked by sustained misfortune, suffering, or a lack of good fortune, often perceived as predetermined.
   • Having a thin or meager lot in life: Conveys a sense of a fragile, insubstantial, or pitiful destiny, leading to a life of hardship or sorrow.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Trong văn học cổ, nàng Kiều được miêu tả là một người con gái bạc phận. (In classical literature, Kieu is described as a woman with an unhappy fate.)
  • Cuộc đời bà ấy thật bạc phận, gặp toàn những điều không may. (Her life has been truly ill-fated, meeting with nothing but misfortune.)
  • Số phận bạc phận khiến cô ấy chịu nhiều thiệt thòi. (An unhappy fate caused her to suffer many disadvantages.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "bạc phận" is deeply rooted in traditional Vietnamese thought and literature, often linked to concepts of predestined fate (). It carries a poetic and tragic nuance, frequently used to evoke sympathy for a character's suffering, which they cannot escape due to their "thin" fortune.

Variants and Related Words

• Phận bạc (n): A synonymous noun phrase meaning "ill-fated lot" or "wretched destiny."
  • Ôm nỗi đau phận bạc, bà lặng lẽ sống qua ngày. (Bearing the pain of a wretched destiny, she lived her days quietly.)

Synonyms

• Ill-fated: Marked by or promising bad fortune.
• Unfortunate: Suffering from bad luck.
• Hapless: Unlucky, unfortunate.
• Star-crossed: Thwarted by bad luck (often used in literary contexts).

Related Idioms

• While "bạc phận" itself is often used in set descriptions, it relates to the broader cultural idiom of "hồng nhan bạc phận" (a beauty with a tragic fate), which encapsulates the classic tragic trope of a beautiful woman destined for sorrow.
  • Câu chuyện đó là một ví dụ điển hình cho mệnh đề hồng nhan bạc phận. (That story is a classic example of the trope "a beauty with a tragic fate.")

adjective

1. Unhappy fate; misfortune