Definition

Noun: 1. An incident, an unexpected event, or a problem: An unplanned occurrence that disrupts normal operation, often implying a minor to moderate issue, malfunction, or hitch. 2. A breakdown, a failure, or a glitch: Specifically refers to a technical malfunction or failure in a system, machine, or process.

Usage

• Sự cố is a formal and common term used in technical, administrative, and general contexts to describe unforeseen problems.
• It often appears in phrases like có sự cố (to have a problem/breakdown), xảy ra sự cố (an incident occurs), or khắc phục sự cố (to fix a problem/incident).
• It can describe both technical failures (e.g., of a machine, network) and non-technical incidents (e.g., a logistical hiccup, a minor accident).

Usage Examples

• Máy tính của tôi gặp sự cố kỹ thuật. (My computer encountered a technical glitch.)
• Chuyến bay bị hoãn do sự cố thời tiết. (The flight was delayed due to a weather-related incident.)
• Đội kỹ thuật đang khẩn trương khắc phục sự cố mất điện. (The technical team is urgently fixing the power outage incident.)
• Xin lỗi quý khách vì sự cố này. (We apologize to our customers for this problem.)

Advanced Usage

• Sự cố ngoài ý muốn: An unforeseen incident/accident.
  • Đây hoàn toàn là một sự cố ngoài ý muốn. (This is entirely an unforeseen accident.)
• Sự cố kỹ thuật: A technical failure/breakdown.
  • Chương trình tạm dừng vì sự cố kỹ thuật. (The program is temporarily suspended due to a technical failure.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cố sự (n, literary): An old story or past event. (Note: This is a different word with a reversed word order and different meaning.)
• Tai nạn (n): Accident (typically more severe, implying injury or significant damage).
• Trục trặc (n): Snag, hitch, trouble (often less formal than and can be used for minor issues).

Synonyms

• Vấn đề (n): Problem, issue (more general).
• Tình huống (n): Situation (neutral, can be positive or negative).
• Pan (n, from French ): Breakdown (specifically mechanical, used colloquially in Vietnamese).

Related Phrases / Compound Nouns

• Sự cố mạng: Network outage/failure.
• Sự cố phần mềm: Software bug/failure.
• Phòng chống sự cố: Incident prevention.
• Xử lý sự cố: Incident handling/problem resolution.

noun

1. break-down
   • xem xét sự cố
     to examine the break-down