Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Erratic / Unreliable: Describes a person whose words, actions, or behavior are inconsistent, unpredictable, and cannot be depended upon.
   • Unstable / Fickle: Characterizes someone who frequently changes their opinions, statements, or attitudes.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta chất chưởng lắm. (He is very erratic.)
  • Ăn nói chất chưởng. (To speak inconsistently / To be unreliable in speech.)
  • Đừng tin hắn, con người đó chất chưởng. (Don't trust him; that person is unreliable.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used to criticize a person's character, particularly their lack of steadfastness in speech or promise-keeping.
• It can describe the unstable nature of an object, though this is less common.

Variants and Related Words

• Chất cha chất chưởng (adj): A reduplicated form for emphasis, meaning extremely erratic or utterly unreliable.

Synonyms

• Erratic: Acting or changing in an unpredictable way.
• Unreliable: Not able to be trusted or depended on.
• Fickle: Changing frequently, especially regarding loyalties or affections.
• Inconsistent: Not staying the same in behavior or quality.

Related Idioms

• While "chất chưởng" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, its meaning is central to describing untrustworthy behavior, as in (to speak inconsistently).

adj

1. Inconsistent in words, erratic, unreliable
   • anh ta chất chưởng lắm
     he is very erratic
   • ăn nói chất chưởng
     to be inconsistent in words