giáng họa
Definition
- Verb:
- To visit calamities upon: To cause or inflict disasters, misfortunes, or severe troubles upon someone or something. This term often implies a supernatural or divine agency, such as a deity or spirit, imposing punishment or misfortune as a form of retribution.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Thần linh được cho là có quyền giáng họa xuống những kẻ bất kính. (The deities are believed to have the power to visit calamities upon the disrespectful.)
- Truyền thuyết kể rằng vị thần đó đã giáng họa xuống cả vương quốc. (Legend says that god visited calamities upon the entire kingdom.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in formal, literary, or historical contexts, often related to folklore, mythology, or superstitious beliefs about cosmic justice. It is not typically used for describing ordinary, human-caused accidents or problems.
Variants and Related Words
- Giáng (v): To descend, to lower, to inflict (often used in compound words indicating something being brought down from above).
- Họa (n): Calamity, disaster, catastrophe.
- Giáng phạt (v): To mete out punishment (often divine).
Synonyms
- To afflict: To cause suffering or unhappiness.
- To curse: To invoke or bring evil or harm upon.
- To bring disaster upon: To be the cause of a catastrophe for someone.
Related Idioms
- Trời giáng họa: A heaven-sent calamity; an act of god causing disaster.
- Người xưa thường coi dịch bệnh là trời giáng họa. (People in the past often viewed epidemics as heaven-sent calamities.)
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Visit calamities on
