Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Unlucky / ill-fated: Describes a person who has a fate marked by misfortune, bad luck, or tragic circumstances in life.
   • Deceased tragically / untimely death: Specifically refers to someone who has died in an unfortunate, accidental, or untimely manner, often evoking pity.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cô ấy là một người phụ nữ xấu số. (She is an ill-fated woman.)
  • Mọi người thương tiếc cho những nạn nhân xấu số trong vụ tai nạn. (People mourn for the unfortunate victims in the accident.)
  • Gia đình đang tổ chức tang lễ cho người con xấu số. (The family is holding a funeral for their tragically deceased child.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "xấu số" is often used in formal, literary, or news contexts when reporting on tragedies or accidents, conveying a tone of sorrow and compassion for the victim.
• It can function attributively (before a noun) or predictively (after a linking verb like "là" - to be).

Variants and Related Words

• Bạc mệnh / bạc phận (adj): Poetic terms meaning "ill-fated" or "having a thin/cruel fate," often used for tragic love or life stories.

  • Nhân vật chính trong câu chuyện thật bạc mệnh. (The main character in the story is truly ill-fated.)

• Đen đủi (adj): Colloquial for "having a streak of bad luck," but less severe and not implying death.

  • Ngày hôm nay của tôi thật đen đủi. (My day today is really unlucky.)

Synonyms

• Unlucky: Having or bringing bad luck.
• Ill-fated: Destined for misfortune or disaster.
• Tragic: Involving terrible sadness, often death.

Related Idioms

• While "xấu số" itself is not typically part of a longer idiom, it relates conceptually to phrases about fate:
  • Số phận hẩm hiu: A wretched/destitute fate.

    • Ông ấy có một số phận hẩm hiu. (He has a wretched fate.)
  • Chết oan: To die unjustly or in vain (closely related to the second meaning of "xấu số").

    • Người lính chết oan ngoài chiến trường. (The soldier died in vain on the battlefield.)

adj

1. unlucky