‘倒楣’ (dǎo méi) is an adjective meaning 'unlucky' or 'jinxed' — describing a person, event, or situation plagued by bad luck. Literally, 倒 (dǎo) means 'to fall over' or 'to reverse', and 楣 (méi) refers to the lintel or horizontal beam above a traditional Chinese doorway. Historically, families would hang red banners on the doorframe for good fortune; if the banner fell (i.e., the lintel ‘fell’), it was seen as an omen of misfortune — hence 倒楣.

The term is widely used in everyday spoken Mandarin, especially in informal contexts like complaining about minor mishaps: a missed bus, a spilled drink, or a failed exam. It carries a light, slightly humorous or resigned tone — not as severe as ‘倒霉透顶’ (extremely unlucky) but stronger than just ‘不走运’. While written as 倒楣 in traditional Chinese (used in Taiwan and Hong Kong), mainland China typically uses the simplified form 倒霉 — same pronunciation and meaning.