"Albatross around your neck" nghĩa là gì?

"Albatross around your neck" = quàng chim hải âu trên cổ -> nghĩa là gánh nặng/trở ngại ngăn cản sự thành công. Cụm từ này bắt nguồn từ bài thơ của Samuel Taylor Coleridge có tên The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, ở đó người kể chuyện đã giết con chim hải âu trắng - biểu tượng của điều tốt lành. Nghĩ rằng hành động giết chim này mang lại điềm gở cho con tàu, nên ông ta phải quàng con chim bị giết trên cổ mình.

Ví dụ

It has become some albatross around his neck. Pius’ alleged role in the Australia visa scandal is well documented and has been touted by critics as one incident that occurred where the government showed its lax (lỏng lẻo, không nghiêm) attitude in the fight against corruption (chống tham nhũng).

Mary Jo Copeland recalls that her husband, Dick, was a little dubious (mơ hồ) when she first raised the idea of starting a storefront center to help the poor in Minneapolis in the mid-1980s. He told her that "it's going to be an albatross around your neck; you'll never be able to leave it," she recalled. But she told him God was calling her to do it.

Bankrolling (cung cấp vốn cho) your kids. This is a serious problem for many older couples and their kids. As a father of five, I understand the desire to help kids get a good start in life. However, few things are more debilitating (làm suy yếu) to a family than having adult children remain dependent on their parents. It’s kind of like that sign I saw at Yellowstone: “Don’t Feed the Bears.” Financial dependence will stunt (làm chậm sự phát triển) their growth and become a financial albatross around your neck.

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