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How to Say ‘Having bad luck’ in Traditional Chinese

卡到陰

💬 Usage Tip: Pronounced 'ka-dao-yin' (kah-dow-yin).

🇹🇼 In Taiwan: Literally means 'stuck by a ghost', reflecting Taiwan's cultural belief in spirits affecting one's fortune.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

卡到

[kǎ dào]

possessed

In local slang, it's used when someone is unlucky or things don't go their way, literally means 'to be possessed by a ghost'.

Example

今天我很不順,簡直像卡到陰一樣。

Today I was so unlucky, it felt as if I was possessed.

[yīn]

ghostly

Related to the supernatural or spirits.

Example

這個地方陰氣很重。

This place is full of ghostly aura.

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