Definition

1. Noun:

   • Offence, crime: An act that violates the law or legal regulations.
   • Guilt, sin: A state of being responsible for a wrongdoing; an act that violates religious or moral precepts.
   • Fault, blame: A mistake or error for which one is responsible.

2. Adjective:

   • Pitiful, deserving of sympathy: A state or situation that evokes pity or compassion.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Hắn phạm tội giết người. (He committed the crime of murder.)
  • Cô ấy cảm thấy có tội vì đã nói dối. (She feels guilty for lying.)
  • Theo đạo, nói dối là một tội. (According to the religion, lying is a sin.)

• Adjective:

  • Đứa trẻ mồ côi trông thật tội. (The orphan child looks so pitiful.)
  • Tội nó quá, làm việc cả ngày không nghỉ. (He's so pitiful, working all day without rest.)

Advanced Usage

• "tội nghiệp": An intensified form meaning "very pitiful, pathetic".

  • Con chó bị bỏ rơi trông thật tội nghiệp. (The abandoned dog looks so pathetic.)

• "mỗi tội" / "chỉ tội": Used as a conjunction meaning "however, the only drawback is that...".

  • Căn nhà đẹp, mỗi tội giá quá cao. (The house is beautiful, however the price is too high.)

• "làm tội làm tình": An idiom meaning to cause trouble, to pester or bother someone persistently.

  • Đứa trẻ cứ làm tội làm tình đòi mua đồ chơi. (The child kept pestering to buy a toy.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tội phạm (n): Criminal, offender.

  • Cảnh sát đã bắt giữ tội phạm. (The police arrested the criminal.)

• Tội lỗi (n): Sin, wrongdoing (often with a stronger moral/religious connotation).

  • Anh ta ăn năn về những tội lỗi của mình. (He repented for his sins.)

• Có tội (phrase): To be guilty.

  • Bị cáo bị tuyên bố có tội. (The defendant was declared guilty.)

Synonyms

• Lỗi (n): Mistake, error, fault.
• Tội ác (n): Evil crime, atrocity (stronger than "tội").
• Tội trạng (n): Crime, charge, indictment (more formal/legal).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Chịu tội: To take the blame, to be punished for a crime.

  • Kẻ phạm tội phải chịu tội. (The offender must be punished.)

• Tha tội: To forgive a sin/pardon a crime.

  • Lin mục đã tha tội cho anh ta. (The priest forgave his sins.)

• Xưng tội: To confess one's sins (especially in a religious context).

  • Người đó vào nhà thờ để xưng tội. (That person went to church to confess.)

Related Idioms

• Tội đổ xuống sông: An idiom meaning "to forgive and forget", literally "to let sins flow down the river".

  • Thôi, tội đổ xuống sông, đừng nhắc đến chuyện cũ nữa. (Let's forgive and forget, don't bring up the past anymore.)

• Cũng quá tội: An expression meaning "that's even worse" or "that's too much".

  • Bị mất ví đã khổ, cũng quá tội là trong đó có cả giấy tờ. (Losing the wallet was bad enough, and what's worse is that the documents were inside.)

noun

1. offence, crime, guilt