Definition

1. Noun:

   • Tomb, grave: A place where a dead person is buried, often with a raised mound of earth.
   • (Informal) Luck/Fortune (attributed to geomancy): In folk belief, the potential for success or misfortune, considered to be influenced by the geomantic properties of ancestral gravesites.

2. Adjective (Slang):

   • Skilled, adept, sharp: Used to describe someone who is very good or proficient at something.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Tomb/Grave):

  • Ngôi làng có một khu mả cổ. (The village has an ancient tomb area.)
  • Họ đi thăm mả ông bà vào ngày giỗ. (They visit their grandparents' grave on the death anniversary.)

• Noun (Luck/Fortune):

  • Người ta nói dòng họ đó làm ăn phát đạt là nhờ có mả. (People say that family's business prosperity is due to [good] geomancy of their graves.)

• Adjective (Skilled):

  • Thằng bé chơi cờ mả lắm! (That boy plays chess really sharply!)
  • Cô ấy tính nhẩm mả thật. (She does mental arithmetic very adeptly.)

Advanced Usage

• "mả tổ": Literally "ancestral grave". Can be used to emphasize the geomantic aspect of fortune or, in curses, to insult someone's lineage.

  • Nhờ mả tổ mà nhà nó giàu có. (Thanks to their ancestral gravesite [geomancy], their family is wealthy.)

• "đào mả": Literally "to dig up a grave". Means to rifle a tomb or, figuratively, to dig up old, unpleasant stories.

  • Đừng có đào mả chuyện cũ ra nữa. (Don't dig up old stories anymore.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mồ (noun): Another common word for grave, tomb. Often used in the compound mồ mả (graves and tombs).
• Mộ (noun): A more formal or literary term for grave, tomb.
• Mả mối (noun, slang): A very skilled matchmaker (from , meaning broker). This is a compound word.

Synonyms

• Ngôi mộ (noun): Grave, tomb.
• Tài (adjective): Talented, skilled (for the adjectival sense).
• Giỏi (adjective): Good, skilled (for the adjectival sense).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "Mả hủi": Literally "leper's grave". Refers to an isolated, neglected grave or a place where one is completely ignored.

  • Anh ta ngồi một góc như mả hủi. (He sat in a corner as if he were a leper's grave [i.e., completely isolated].)

• "Có mả": To have good grave geomancy (bringing fortune).

• "Không có mả": To lack good grave geomancy (bringing misfortune).

(Note: The slang adjectival use is primarily found in Northern Vietnamese dialects.)

noun

1. tomb; grave
   • đào mả
     to rifle a tomb