Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Disastrous, catastrophic: Having the quality of causing great damage, loss, or misfortune; leading to very bad or harmful outcomes.
   • Harmful, detrimental: Causing a negative or injurious effect.

2. Noun (less common):

   • Disaster, calamity: The severe damage or harmful event itself.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Hậu quả của trận lũ thật tai hại. (The consequences of the flood were truly disastrous.)
  • Đó là một quyết định tai hại. (That was a disastrous decision.)
  • Ảnh hưởng tai hại của thuốc lá. (The harmful effects of tobacco.)

• Noun:

  • Cần phòng tránh mọi tai hại. (It is necessary to prevent all disasters.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to emphasize the severe, often irreversible, negative consequences of an action, event, or phenomenon.
• Often collocates with words like (consequence), (influence/effect), (impact).

Variants and Related Words

• Tai họa (n): catastrophe, disaster. A more common noun for a disastrous event.

  • Trận động đất là một tai họa. (The earthquake was a catastrophe.)

• Thảm hại (adj): pathetic, miserable, disastrous (often emphasizing a pitiful or shameful failure).

  • Kết quả thi cử thảm hại. (The exam results were disastrous.)

Synonyms

• Disastrous: Catastrophic, calamitous, devastating.
• Harmful: Detrimental, injurious, deleterious, pernicious.

Related Idioms

• "Gây tai hại": to cause harm/disaster.

  • Hành động đó có thể gây tai hại khôn lường. (That action could cause unforeseeable harm.)

• "Tai hại khôn lường": incalculable/immense harm.

  • Sự cố rò rỉ hóa chất để lại hậu quả tai hại khôn lường. (The chemical leak left consequences of incalculable harm.)

adj

1. disastrous, catastrophic