bói ra ma, quét nhà ra rác

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɔj˧˦ zaː˧˧ maː˧˧ kwɛt̚˧˦ ɲaː˨˩ zaː˧˧ zaːk̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɔj˨˩˦ ʐaː˧˧ maː˧˧ kwɛt̚˦˧˥ ɲaː˦˩ ʐaː˧˧ ʐaːk̚˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɔj˦˥ ɹaː˧˧ maː˧˧ wɛt̚˦˥ ɲaː˨˩ ɹaː˧˧ ɹaːk̚˦˥]

Phrase

bói ra ma, quét nhà ra rác

1. (literal) being a medium and getting "possessed" at some point is as predictable as sweeping your home and getting trash
2. (figurative) don't be gullible and buy into medium, fortune-telling or divination nonsense
3. (figurative) it's easy to be susceptible to confirmation bias, or to make a self-fulfilling prophecy