mày thúi như cứt chó
The English phrase "you smell like dog poop" is expressed in Vietnamese as mày thúi như cứt chó.
This phrase is an insulting statement used to tell someone that they have a very bad smell.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of mày (you), thúi (smelly/stinky), như (like), cứt (poop/excrement) and chó (dog).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The use of the pronoun mày makes this phrase highly informal and potentially insulting or aggressive depending on the relationship between speakers. Using mày is much more confrontational than using more polite pronouns like bạn or anh/chị when describing a bad smell.
How does it change in a sentence?
The structure thúi như [noun] is used to create a simile meaning 'smells as bad as [noun]'.
Did you know?
- The word mày is actually a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character for 'eyebrows'.
- The word cứt is one of only three words in the Vietnamese language where a starting consonant actually evolved from a 'zero' or silent initial in ancient ancestor languages.
- The word như is not an indigenous Vietnamese word but is a Sino-Vietnamese borrowing from Chinese.
Examples in context
- Sao mày thúi như cứt chó vậy?Why do you smell like dog poop?
- Tránh xa tao ra, mày thúi như cứt chó.Stay away from me, you smell like dog poop.
Example conversation
Minh and Chi are arguing in a hallway.
- MinhChi, đứng xa tao ra, mày thúi như cứt chó.Chi, stand away from me, you smell like dog poop.
- ChiMày nói cái gì cơ?What did you just say?
- MinhTao nói là mày hôi lắm!I said you smell terrible!
- ChiĐồ tồi, mày mới là đứa thúi!You jerk, you're the one who smells!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chó, cứt, mày, như, CC BY-SA 4.0.
