ma quái

Một đứa trẻ sợ hãi khi nghĩ về ma quái trong bóng tối.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Ghostly; spectral: Having the frightening, mysterious, or elusive qualities associated with ghosts or spirits.
   • Sinister; fiendish: Suggesting evil, trickery, or a malevolent, supernatural nature.

2. Noun:

   • Ghosts and demons; evil spirits: Used collectively to refer to supernatural, malevolent entities.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Khu rừng đó có vẻ ma quái và đáng sợ vào ban đêm. (That forest seems ghostly and frightening at night.)
  • Hắn ta có một nụ cười ma quái. (He had a sinister smile.)
• Noun:
  • Người ta đồn rằng ngôi nhà bị ma quái ám. (People say the house is haunted by evil spirits.)

Advanced Usage

• Often used to describe an eerie, unsettling, or unnatural atmosphere, appearance, or phenomenon that evokes fear of the supernatural.
• Can be used figuratively to describe a person's cunning, deceitful, or mysteriously malevolent behavior.

Variants and Related Words

• Ma (n): ghost, spirit.
  • Đứa trẻ sợ ma. (The child is afraid of ghosts.)
• Quỷ (n): devil, demon.
  • Truyện cổ tích thường có quỷ. (Fairy tales often have demons.)
• Ma mãnh (adj): cunning, crafty (like a ghost).
  • Tên trộm rất ma mãnh. (The thief is very crafty.)

Synonyms

• Eerie: Strange and frightening.
• Supernatural: Attributable to forces beyond scientific understanding.
• Demonic: Relating to demons or evil spirits.

Related Idioms

• Nói chuyện ma quái: To talk about supernatural/spooky things.
  • Bọn trẻ thích nói chuyện ma quái khi cắm trại. (The kids like to talk about spooky things while camping.)
• Âm mưu ma quái: A sinister/devious scheme.
  • Hắn ta đang ấp ủ một âm mưu ma quái. (He is hatching a sinister plot.)