bất nghì
Definition
- Adjective:
- Ungrateful, lacking in gratitude or filial piety: Describes a person who fails to show proper gratitude or respect, especially towards parents or benefactors, or who acts against moral obligations of loyalty and duty.
- Unrighteous, unjust: Can describe actions or behaviors that are morally wrong, treacherous, or contrary to righteousness.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Kẻ bất nghì ấy đã quên ơn người đã cứu mạng mình. (That ungrateful person forgot the debt to the one who saved his life.)
- Hành động phản bội đó thật là bất nghì. (That act of betrayal is truly unrighteous.)
Advanced Usage
- Literary/Classical Context: The word 'bất nghì' is considered literary and somewhat archaic in modern Vietnamese. It is often found in classical literature, historical texts, or proverbs discussing morality.
- Câu chuyện cổ tích thường lên án những kẻ bất nghì. (Folk tales often condemn ungrateful people.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bất nghĩa (adj): This is the more common modern synonym, carrying the same core meanings of "ungrateful" and "unrighteous." 'Bất nghì' is noted in dictionaries as being equivalent to 'bất nghĩa'.
- Làm việc bất nghĩa sẽ bị mọi người khinh ghét. (Committing unrighteous acts will make everyone despise you.)
- Vong ân bội nghĩa (idiom/phrase): A common four-word idiom meaning "to forget favors and betray righteousness," essentially describing an ungrateful and treacherous person.
- Bội bạc (adj): Ungrateful, treacherous (often in the context of relationships).
Synonyms
- Vô ơn: Ungrateful.
- Bạc nghĩa: Ungrateful, lacking in gratitude (often in personal relationships).
Related Idioms
- Ăn cháo đá bát: Literally "to eat the porridge and kick the bowl," meaning to bite the hand that feeds you; to be ungrateful to a benefactor.
- Giúp họ xong, họ lại quay ra hại ta, đúng là ăn cháo đá bát. (After helping them, they turned around to harm us, that's truly biting the hand that feeds you.)