oan nghiệp
Definition
- Noun:
- Karmic injustice or karmic grievance: A deep-seated, often inexplicable misfortune, suffering, or conflict believed to be the result of wrongful deeds or unresolved enmity from a past life, creating a cycle of retribution.
- A karmic debt of injustice: A burden of sin and resentment carried over from previous existences, causing ongoing strife and unhappiness in the present life.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Hai gia đình ấy ghét nhau, có lẽ do oan nghiệp từ kiếp trước. (Those two families hate each other, perhaps due to karmic injustice from a past life.)
- Anh ta gặp nhiều tai ương, người ta bảo là oan nghiệp. (He encounters many calamities; people say it's karmic grievance.)
- Cô ấy tin rằng căn bệnh hiểm nghèo của mình là một thứ oan nghiệp. (She believes her critical illness is a form of karmic debt.)
Advanced Usage
- The concept is deeply rooted in Buddhist and folk beliefs regarding karma () and rebirth. It specifically emphasizes the "injustice" () aspect—suffering that feels unwarranted or excessively punitive, often stemming from a specific unresolved conflict.
- It is commonly used to explain prolonged familial discord, chronic illness, or persistent bad luck that seems to have no clear cause in the current lifetime.
Variants and Related Words
- Oan trái (n): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably, meaning karmic enmity or grievance.
- Mối oan trái giữa hai dòng họ kéo dài hàng thế kỷ. (The karmic enmity between the two lineages has lasted for centuries.)
- Nghiệp chướng (n): Karmic obstacle; a broader term for the hindrances and sufferings resulting from bad karma, not necessarily emphasizing the "injustice" element as strongly as .
Synonyms
- Karmic retribution: Punishment or consequence received due to past actions.
- Karmic debt: An obligation from past misdeeds that must be repaid through suffering.
- Ancient grievance: A long-held resentment, often with a supernatural or metaphysical cause.
Related Idioms and Concepts
- Trả nợ oan nghiệp: To repay a karmic debt of injustice.
- Sống khổ sở như vậy, phải chăng tôi đang trả nợ oan nghiệp? (Living in such misery, am I repaying a karmic debt of injustice?)
- Giải oan nghiệp: To resolve or dissolve a karmic grievance, often through rituals, good deeds, or spiritual practice.
- Gia đình họ làm lễ cúng để giải oan nghiệp. (Their family performed a ritual to resolve the karmic grievance.)