Definition

1. Noun:
   • A lowly, insignificant, or petty ghost/spirit: A contemptuous term for a ghost or spirit considered weak, minor, or of little power or threat. It implies the entity is not fearsome or formidable.
   • A nobody; an insignificant person: Used figuratively and disparagingly to describe a person who is unimportant, lacks influence, or is considered worthless.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hắn ta chẳng qua chỉ là một ma cỏ, không đáng sợ. (He is merely a petty ghost, not scary.)
  • Bọn ma cỏ ấy không dám làm gì người sống đâu. (Those lowly spirits dare not do anything to the living.)
  • Đừng nghe lời nó, nó chỉ là thằng ma cỏ trong làng này. (Don't listen to him; he's just a nobody in this village.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is inherently derogatory and is used to express disdain, mockery, or belittlement towards either supernatural entities or people.
• It often appears in folk tales or casual speech to contrast with more powerful, feared ghosts or important figures.

Variants and Related Words

• Ma (n): ghost, spirit.

  • Căn nhà cũ đồn là có ma. (The old house is rumored to have a ghost.)

• Yêu ma (n): demons, evil spirits.

  • Khu rừng đầy chuyện về yêu ma. (The forest is full of stories about demons.)

Synonyms

• Minor spirit: A spirit of low rank or power.
• Nonentity: A person or thing of no importance.
• Pipsqueak: A contemptibly small or unimportant person.

Related Idioms

• Ma cũ bắt nạt ma mới: Literally "the old ghost bullies the new ghost," meaning an old hand bullies a newcomer. This idiom shares the use of "ma" (ghost) in a figurative, social context.
  • Ở công ty mới, anh ấy gặp phải tình trạng ma cũ bắt nạt ma mới. (At the new company, he encountered the situation of old hands bullying the new ones.)