gở mồm
Definition
- Verb:
- To utter words of ill omen; to say something that is considered unlucky or jinxing: This refers to the act of speaking words that are believed to bring bad luck or predict an unfortunate outcome. It implies that the speaker's words themselves may cause the negative event to happen.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Đừng có gở mồm như vậy, sợ thành sự thật lắm. (Don't say such unlucky things like that; I'm afraid it might come true.)
- Anh ta vừa gở mồm là "trời mưa thì sao" thì trời đổ mưa ngay. (He had just uttered the jinxing words "what if it rains" when it started pouring immediately.)
Advanced Usage
- "Gở mồm gở miệng": An intensified or more emphatic form of "gở mồm," also meaning to speak ill-omened words.
- Bà cụ hay mắng con cháu: "Cấm gở mồm gở miệng trong ngày đầu năm". (The old lady often scolds her grandchildren: "Don't utter any ill-omened words on New Year's Day.")
Variants and Related Words
- Gở (adj): Inauspicious, unlucky, ill-omened. This is the root adjective describing the quality of bringing bad luck.
- Điều đó thật gở. (That is very inauspicious.)
- Gở miệng (v): Synonymous with "gở mồm," meaning to speak words of bad omen.
Synonyms
- Nói xui: To say something that brings bad luck (more colloquial).
- Nói điềm gở: To speak of an ill omen.
Related Idioms
- "Phát ngôn bất cẩn" (careless speech): While not a direct synonym, this phrase describes speaking without consideration, which can sometimes lead to saying "gở mồm" things.
- The concept is deeply tied to cultural superstition about the power of spoken words to influence reality.