Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Ill-gotten: Describes wealth, money, or gains acquired suddenly, unexpectedly, and often through dishonest, unjust, or immoral means, such as gambling, fraud, or exploitation. It implies a lack of legitimacy and often carries a negative moral judgment.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta sống xa hoa bằng những đồng tiền hoạnh tài. (He lives luxuriously with ill-gotten money.)
  • Của hoạnh tài thì không bao giờ bền. (Ill-gotten gains never last.)
  • Tiền trúng số đôi khi cũng bị coi là hoạnh tài. (Lottery winnings are sometimes considered ill-gotten gains.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used to modify nouns related to wealth or possessions, such as "của" (property), "tiền" (money), or "tài sản" (assets). It is a formal and literary term often used in moral or proverbial contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Của hoạnh tài (n. phrase): Ill-gotten gains; ill-gotten wealth.
  • Của hoạnh tài thường dễ đến thì dễ đi. (Ill-gotten gains are often easy come, easy go.)

Synonyms

• Ill-gotten: Wrongfully or unjustly acquired.
• Unjust gains: Profits obtained unfairly.
• Dirty money: Money obtained illegally or unethically.

Related Idioms and Proverbs

• Của hoạnh tài không để được đời: Ill-gotten gains will not last a lifetime. This proverb warns that wealth acquired through wrong means will not endure.
• Của thiên trả địa: Literally "wealth from heaven returns to earth," meaning easily gotten, easily gone; often used in a similar context to "hoạnh tài."

adj

1. ill-gotten gains