mạt hạng
Definition
Noun:
- The lowest rank/grade: Refers to the very last or bottom position in a hierarchy, classification, or social order.
- The worst class/type: Describes something or someone belonging to the poorest, most inferior, or most contemptible category.
Adjective (attributive):
- Bottom-grade / lowest-class: Used to characterize a person, group, or thing as being of the most inferior quality or status.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- Hắn bị coi là kẻ mạt hạng trong xã hội. (He is considered a person of the lowest rank in society.)
- Đội bóng đó đang ở mạt hạng của bảng xếp hạng. (That football team is at the bottom rank of the standings.)
Adjective:
- Những hành vi mạt hạng đó không được chấp nhận. (Those lowest-class behaviors are not acceptable.)
- Họ bị đối xử như những công nhân mạt hạng. (They were treated like bottom-grade workers.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in a socio-economic or moral context to express strong contempt or to denote extreme inferiority. It carries a pejorative and judgmental tone.
Variants and Related Words
- Bần cùng (adj): destitute, impoverished (focuses on poverty rather than rank).
- Cùng đinh (n): the lowest social stratum, the dregs of society.
- Hạng bét (n, colloq): the very last place, the bottom (less formal than "mạt hạng").
Synonyms
- The dregs: the most worthless part.
- The bottom tier: the lowest level.
- The lowest of the low: a phrase emphasizing extreme inferiority.
- The scum: a harsh term for contemptible people.
Related Idioms
- While "mạt hạng" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, it is conceptually related to expressions describing low status.
- Đáy của xã hội: (the bottom of society) – a descriptive phrase for the lowest social class.