Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Paradoxical; contrary to common sense or reason: Describes a situation, statement, or idea that is illogical, absurd, or seems to contradict normal expectations and the natural order of things.
   • Preposterous; topsy-turvy: Can describe something so irrational it feels like the world is turned upside down.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Lập luận đó thật ngược đời. (That argument is truly absurd/paradoxical.)
  • Thật ngược đời khi mặc áo ấm giữa mùa hè. (It is preposterous to wear a coat in the middle of summer.)
  • Ăn nói ngược đời. (To talk absurdities.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to critique ideas, rules, or behaviors that defy logic.
  • Chính sách mới này nghe thật ngược đời. (This new policy sounds utterly paradoxical.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngược (adj/prep): reverse, opposite, against. The root contributes the sense of "contrary to."
• Đời (n): life, the world, common experience. Combined, it means "contrary to the normal way of the world."

Synonyms

• Paradoxical: Seemingly self-contradictory.
• Absurd: Wildly unreasonable or illogical.
• Preposterous: Contrary to reason or common sense.
• Irrational: Not logical or reasonable.

Related Idioms

• Thế giới ngược đời / Thế giới bị đảo lộn: A topsy-turvy world; a world turned upside down.
  • Đó giống như một thế giới ngược đời nơi mọi quy tắc đều bị phá vỡ. (It is like a topsy-turvy world where all rules are broken.)

1. Nonsensical, absurd
   • Ăn nói ngược đời
     To talk adsurdities