Definition

Noun: 1. Corpse, dead body: The physical remains of a deceased human being. This is the primary and literal meaning. 2. A contemptible or pitiable person: Used figuratively and derogatorily to describe a person who is considered worthless, lifeless in spirit, or a burden to society, often due to addiction, extreme laziness, or moral decay.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning:

  • Trong rừng sâu, họ phát hiện một thây ma. (In the deep forest, they discovered a corpse.)
  • Thây ma được đưa đến nhà xác. (The dead body was taken to the morgue.)

• Figurative meaning:

  • Hắn nghiện ngập và giờ chỉ là một thây ma sống. (He is an addict and is now just a living corpse.)
  • Đừng có như cái thây ma đó, suốt ngày chỉ nằm một chỗ! (Don't be like that worthless lump, just lying around all day!)

Advanced Usage

• "thây ma sống" / "zombie": A "living corpse" or zombie. This term blends the literal and figurative, often used in horror contexts or to describe someone who moves and acts but seems devoid of life, will, or humanity.
  • Bộ phim về thây ma sống rất đáng sợ. (The movie about zombies is very scary.)
  • Sau cú sốc, cô ấy bước đi như một thây ma sống. (After the shock, she walked like a living dead.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tử thi (n): A more formal or clinical term for a corpse or cadaver.
• Xác chết (n): A common, neutral term for a dead body.

Synonyms

• Corpse: A dead body, especially of a human.
• Cadaver: A dead human body, often used in medical or scientific contexts.
• Carcass: Typically used for dead animals, but can be applied to humans in a highly derogatory or dehumanizing way.

Related Idioms

• Thây ma vô chủ: An unclaimed corpse; often used to describe something or someone neglected and without anyone to take responsibility.
  • Công trình bỏ dở nằm đó như thây ma vô chủ. (The abandoned construction project lies there like an unclaimed corpse.)
• Sống như thây ma: To live like a corpse; to lead a meaningless, vegetative, or deeply depressed existence.
  • Sau khi mất việc, anh ta sống như thây ma. (After losing his job, he lived like a corpse.)

noun

1. corpse, dead body