Definition

1. Adjective (attributive):
   • Deadly / Fatal / Lethal: Causing or capable of causing death. This is the primary and most literal meaning.
   • Extremely / Excessively / To death: Used as an intensifier to describe a state or action that is extreme or unbearable in degree. This is a figurative, colloquial usage.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Deadly):
  • Đây là một loại nấm độc chết người. (This is a deadly poisonous mushroom.)
  • Vụ tai nạn xe hơi rất thảm khốc và chết người. (The car accident was very horrific and fatal.)
• Adjective (Extremely):
  • Bài tập về nhà hôm nay khó chết người. (Today's homework is extremely difficult.)
  • Tôi đang buồn chết người. (I am bored to death.)

Advanced Usage

• The figurative use ("extremely") is very common in informal, spoken Vietnamese to add strong emphasis, similar to English slang like "to death" or "insanely."
• When used literally ("deadly"), it often directly modifies nouns denoting dangers (e.g., weapons, diseases, accidents).

Variants and Related Words

• Gây chết người (verb phrase): to cause fatalities, to be fatal.
  • Sự cố đã gây chết người. (The incident caused fatalities.)
• Tử vong (verb/noun): a more formal, clinical term for death or mortality.
  • Số ca tử vong đang gia tăng. (The number of deaths is increasing.)

Synonyms

• Deadly / Lethal / Fatal: for the literal meaning.
• Extremely / Terribly / Awfully: for the figurative, intensifying meaning.

Related Idioms

• Cười chết người: hilariously funny (lit. "laugh to death").
  • Bộ phim hài đó cười chết người. (That comedy film is hilariously funny.)
• Chết người vì...: to be extremely... due to something (figurative).
  • Món này ngon chết người vì ớt. (This dish is insanely delicious because of the chili.)