倒霉

• Pinyin: dǎo méi
• Hanzi breakdown: 倒 = 亻 + 到 (to overturn, fall); 霉 = 雨 + 某 (mold, misfortune)

Meaning

To be unlucky; to have bad luck. An adjective and verb phrase expressing misfortune or ill fate, used colloquially to describe unfortunate situations.

Very common in everyday spoken Chinese to express bad luck. Can describe a person, a situation, or a stretch of time. More casual than 不幸 and often carries a tone of self-pity or commiseration rather than formal lamentation.

Examples

1. 今天真倒霉，出门就踩到了水坑，还错过了末班车。 I was really unlucky today: as soon as I went out, I stepped into a puddle and also missed the last bus.
2. 他最近倒霉透了，生意赔了不少，还生了一场大病。 He has had terrible luck lately: his business lost quite a bit of money, and he also fell seriously ill.
3. 倒霉的时候，做什么都不顺。 When you're having bad luck, nothing you do goes smoothly.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, emotion

Tone: negative, self-deprecating

Do Say

• 真倒霉！(What terrible luck!)
• 我今天倒霉了。(I had terrible luck today.)

Don't Say

• 倒霉的决定 — use 糟糕的决定 or 错误的决定 for bad decisions; 倒霉 applies to fate not conscious choice

Origin & History

倒 (to fall, indicating misfortune) + 霉 (mold, bad luck). Together expressing a state of ill fortune.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal