Definition

1. Adjective (Tính từ):
   • Having an unlucky or ominous appearance: Used to describe a person's face or expression that is believed to bring bad luck or misfortune.
   • Jinxed, ill-omened: Can describe a person or thing considered to cause bad luck.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ta có bộ mặt hãm tài. (He has an ominous/unlucky-looking face.)
  • Đừng mang cái bình vỡ đó vào nhà, nó hãm tài lắm. (Don't bring that broken vase into the house; it's a real jinx.)
  • Cô ấy bị coi là người hãm tài trong đội. (She is considered the jinx of the team.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is colloquial and carries a superstitious connotation. It is often used in informal contexts to blame misfortune on a person's appearance or a specific object.
• It can be used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like 'là', 'bị coi là').

Variants and Related Words

• Xui xẻo (adj): Unlucky. (A more general and common term for bad luck.)
• Đen đủi (adj): Down on one's luck, having a streak of bad luck. (Focuses on the state of misfortune rather than the cause.)
• Vận đen (n): A streak of bad luck.

Synonyms

• Mang vận rủi: To carry bad luck.
• Xúi quẩy: (Colloquial) Jinxed, causing things to go wrong.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary meaning relates to a superstitious belief that a person's appearance or a specific object can inherently cause bad luck.
• It is important to note that using this term to describe a person can be considered very offensive and derogatory, as it unfairly attributes blame for negative events to them.

1. (thông tục) Wearing an ominous look
   • Bộ mặt hãm tài
     To wear an ominous look
   • Người hãm tài
     A jinx
   • Vật hãm tài
     A jinx