Definition

Noun: 1. Forsaken spirits; wandering souls; hungry ghosts: Refers to the spirits of the deceased who have no living relatives to worship or make offerings to them. They are believed to be lonely, restless, and often hungry or suffering in the afterlife. 2. A state of being lost and pitiful: Can be used metaphorically to describe a person who appears utterly lost, forlorn, or pitiful, like a wandering spirit.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Theo tín ngưỡng dân gian, những cô hồn lang thang khắp nơi vào tháng Bảy âm lịch. (According to folk belief, forsaken spirits wander everywhere during the seventh lunar month.)
  • Người ta thường làm lễ cúng cô hồn để các vong linh không nơi nương tựa có thể được siêu thoát. (People often perform rituals to make offerings to wandering souls so that the spirits with no one to rely on can be liberated.)
  • Nhìn anh ta lếch thếch ngoài đường như một cô hồn vậy. (Looking at him wandering aimlessly on the street, he's like a lost soul.)

Advanced Usage

• "cúng cô hồn": To make offerings (of food, paper money, etc.) to wandering souls. This is a common ritual, especially during the Vu Lan season (Ghost Month).

  • Vào ngày rằm tháng Bảy, nhiều gia đình cúng cô hồn trước cửa nhà. (On the full moon of the seventh month, many families make offerings to wandering souls in front of their houses.)

• "miếu cô hồn" / "am cô hồn": A small shrine or temple dedicated to forsaken spirits.

  • Ngôi miếu cô hồn nhỏ ở cuối làng là nơi thờ cúng cho những linh hồn vô danh. (The small shrine for forsaken spirits at the end of the village is a place of worship for nameless souls.)

Variants and Related Words

• Vong hồn (n): Spirit, soul of the deceased. A more general term.
• Oan hồn (n): Wronged spirit; the soul of someone who died unjustly or with a grievance.
• Ma đói (n): Hungry ghost. A direct and colloquial term with a similar meaning to "cô hồn."

Synonyms

• Hồn ma vất vưởng: Wandering ghost.
• Vong linh không nơi thờ tự: Spirit with no place of worship.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• (Lang thang) như cô hồn: To wander (aimlessly) like a forsaken spirit. Describes someone with no clear purpose or direction.

  • Sau khi mất việc, anh ấy lang thang như cô hồn cả tháng trời. (After losing his job, he wandered aimlessly like a lost soul for a whole month.)

• Cô hồn các đảng: A humorous or slightly derogatory phrase referring to a motley crew of people; a ragtag group of individuals who seem lost or without proper affiliation. (Note: This is a compound phrase using "cô hồn").

  • Nhóm cô hồn các đảng ấy lại tụ tập ở quán cà phê góc phố. (That ragtag bunch is gathering again at the street corner cafe.)

noun

1. forsanke spirits