Definition

Noun: - Ghosts and demons; evil spirits; supernatural malevolent beings: "ma quỷ" is a compound noun referring collectively to ghosts, demons, and evil spirits. It represents malevolent supernatural entities in folklore and belief systems.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy không tin vào ma quỷ. (He does not believe in ghosts and demons.)
  • Những câu chuyện về ma quỷ thường làm trẻ em sợ hãi. (Stories about evil spirits often frighten children.)
  • Khu rừng đó bị đồn là có ma quỷ cư ngụ. (That forest is rumored to be inhabited by ghosts and devils.)

Advanced Usage

• "tin ở ma quỷ": to believe in ghosts and demons.

  • Người xưa thường tin ở ma quỷ. (People in the past often believed in ghosts and demons.)

• "mưu ma chước quỷ": (idiomatic) devilishly cunning schemes; wicked and deceitful tricks.

  • Hắn ta dùng đủ thứ mưu ma chước quỷ để đạt được mục đích. (He used all sorts of devilishly cunning schemes to achieve his goal.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ma (noun): ghost, spirit.
  • con ma (a ghost)
• Quỷ (noun): devil, demon.
  • con quỷ (a devil)
• Yêu quái (noun): monster, fiend.
  • truyện yêu quái (monster stories)
• Ác quỷ (noun): evil demon, fiend.
• Quỷ dữ (noun): evil devil.

Synonyms

• Tà ma: evil spirits, demons.
• Yêu tinh: goblins, evil spirits.
• Âm binh: (in folklore) soldiers of the underworld; often associated with ghostly armies.

Related Idioms

• "Ma đưa lối, quỷ đưa đường": (literally: ghosts show the path, devils lead the way) meaning to be led astray by evil influences or to engage in wicked deeds.

  • Hắn sống một cuộc đời ma đưa lối, quỷ đưa đường. (He lived a life led astray by evil influences.)

• "Nói như ma bắt": (literally: to talk as if a ghost is chasing/catching) meaning to talk incessantly and urgently.

  • Cô ấy nói như ma bắt, chẳng ai chen lời vào được. (She talks incessantly, no one can get a word in edgewise.)

noun

1. ghosts and devil
   • tin ở ma quỉ
     to believe in ghosts