Definition

1. Verb:

   • To incite, to instigate, to urge: To encourage or persuade someone to do something, often something negative or foolish, that they might not otherwise do.
   • To cause, to bring about: To be the reason something (usually negative or unfortunate) happens.

2. Adjective:

   • Unlucky, jinxed: Describing a state of bad luck or misfortune. Often used in the phrase "vận xui" (bad luck).

Usage Examples

• Verb (to incite):

  • Đừng xui nó làm điều sai trái. (Don't incite him to do wrong.)
  • Ai xui con làm thế? (Who told you/instigated you to do that?)

• Verb (to cause):

  • Số phận xui khiến thế. (Fate caused it to be so.)
  • Trời xui đất khiến. (Heaven and earth conspired to make it happen. / It was destined.)

• Adjective (unlucky):

  • Hôm nay tôi gặp vận xui. (I had bad luck today.)
  • Đồ xui! (You jinx! / Unlucky thing!)

Advanced Usage

• "xui nguyên giục bị": To incite and instigate constantly; to be a persistent troublemaker or instigator.

  • Nó chỉ giỏi xui nguyên giục bị chứ không dám làm. (He's only good at inciting others but doesn't dare do it himself.)

• "xui khiến": To cause, to make happen (often by fate or supernatural forces).

  • Mọi chuyện dường như do trời xui khiến. (Everything seems to be caused by heaven's will.)

• "xui xẻo": (Adjective/Idiom) Unlucky, jinxed. This is a common reduplicative form.

  • Ngày hôm nay thật xui xẻo. (Today is really unlucky.)

Variants and Related Words

• Xui xẻo (adj): Unlucky, jinxed. A more common and emphatic form than "xui" alone.
• Vận xui (n): Bad luck, a streak of misfortune.
• Xúi giục (v): A variant spelling/pronunciation meaning "to incite, to egg on." This is very common.
  • Nó bị bạn xúi giục. (He was egged on by his friend.)

Synonyms

• Giục (v): To urge, to press.
• Khích (v): To provoke, to incite.
• Khiến (v): To cause, to make.
• Rủ rê (v): To entice, to persuade (often to join an activity).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Xui làm (v): To incite to do.
  • Nó xui thằng bé làm bậy. (He incited the boy to misbehave.)

Related Idioms

• Xui trẻ ăn cứt gà: Literally "to incite a child to eat chicken droppings." Means to incite someone to do something extremely stupid or disgusting.

  • Đừng có nghe lời nó, nó chỉ xui trẻ ăn cứt gà thôi. (Don't listen to him, he's just inciting you to do something foolish.)

• Trời xui đất khiến: Heaven incites, earth causes. Means something was fated or destined to happen, often used for unfortunate events.

  • Tai nạn ấy chẳng qua là trời xui đất khiến. (That accident was simply fate.)

verb

1. incite

adj

1. be unlucky