Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Deserved, serving someone right: Used to express that a (usually negative) consequence is exactly what someone merits due to their own prior bad actions or character. It carries a strong sense of moral judgment and often, though not always, a tone of schadenfreude or satisfaction that justice has been served.
   • Honourable, worthy: An older or more formal usage meaning "worthy of life" or "honourable". This sense is less common in modern everyday speech.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Hắn lừa đảo người khác, giờ bị bắt cũng là đáng đời. (He deceived others; now that he's been caught, it serves him right.)
  • Ăn trộm hoài, giờ mất hết của cải, đáng đời chưa? (Stealing all the time, and now you've lost all your possessions, serves you right, doesn't it?)
  • Người chiến sĩ hy sinh vì Tổ quốc thật là đáng đời. (The soldier who sacrificed for the Fatherland is truly honourable.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đáng đời chưa?" / "Thấy đáng đời chưa?": A rhetorical question meaning "Serves you/him/her right, doesn't it?" or "See? That's what you get!".
  • Cảnh báo mãi không nghe, giờ bị thương rồi, thấy đáng đời chưa? (I warned you repeatedly, and now you're injured. See? That's what you get!)
• "Thật đáng đời!": An exclamation meaning "Serves him/her right!" or "How fitting!".
  • Kẻ bạo ngược cuối cùng cũng bị trừng phạt. Thật đáng đời! (The tyrant has finally been punished. Serves him right!)

Variants and Related Words

• Đáng (adj): Worthy, deserving. This is the root word.
  • đáng khen (praiseworthy), đáng trách (blameworthy).
• Đời (n): Life, lifetime.
• Xứng đáng (adj): Deserving, worthy (usually of positive things like rewards or praise).
  • Cô ấy xứng đáng nhận giải thưởng. (She deserves the award.)
• Tội nghiệp (adj): Pitiful, deserving pity (often the opposite sentiment of in its common negative sense).

Synonyms

• Đáng kiếp: (Colloquial) Serves you/him/her right! (Slightly stronger and more vulgar than ).
• Xứng đáng với số phận/hậu quả: Deserving of one's fate/consequences.
• Hợp lẽ: Rightful, fitting (more neutral).

Notes on Meaning

The word đáng đời has two distinct meanings that are almost opposites in connotation: 1. The most common modern meaning is negative and judgmental, expressing that a bad outcome is deserved. It is often used in informal, conversational contexts. 2. The older, more literary meaning is positive, praising someone for living a worthy, honourable life, often in the context of sacrifice or noble death. This usage is now rare in casual speech. The context of the sentence will always make clear which meaning is intended.

1. Serving ne right, welldeserved
2. Worthy, honourable
   • Chết như thế cũng đáng đời
     Such a death is honourable indeed