ăn mặn nói ngay
Eat salty and speak straight — better plain-living honesty than fasting hypocrisy.
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Where will you be? Anywhere Hà Nội & the NorthHuế / Đà Nẵng & the CenterSài Gòn & the SouthOnline slang Bắc ↔ Nam words
ăn như gấu ăn giăng
Eating like the bear eating the moon — devouring on a mythological scale.
ăn nhờ ở đậu
to live in someone else's house and rely on them for food and shelter
ăn no sanh sự
A full belly breeds mischief — comfort is where trouble learns to walk.
ăn nên làm ra
to bring benefits; to be profitable
ăn nói xà lơ
Talking nonsense; saying something totally off — “xà lơ” is a playful take on “sai lơ” (dead wrong).
ăn quen, nhịn không quen
Indulgence comes easy; abstaining doesn't — appetites train faster than restraint ever will.
ăn quả bỏ hột
Eat the fruit, toss the seed — enjoyment that discards its own next harvest.
ăn sẻ sẻ đẻ ông voi
Eat like a sparrow, lose like an elephant — the gambler's diet: tiny wins, giant losses.
ăn sống nuốt tươi
Eaten raw and swallowed live — consumed without ceremony; overwhelmed in one bite.
ăn theo thuở, ở theo thì
Eat by the season, live by the times — bend your habits to the hour you're given.
ăn thì cho, buôn thì so
Food is given freely; goods are haggled — meals escape arithmetic, trade never does.
ăn thì hơn, hờn thì thiệt
Eating gains, sulking loses — storm off and you forfeit your share.
ăn thì vóc, học thì hay
Food builds the frame, study builds the mind — nourishment shows in the body, learning in the wit.
ăn thùng uống vại
to eat and drink excessively or gluttonously; to have a massive appetite
ăn to nói lớn
to be straightforward, bold, and decisive in one's conduct and speech
ăn trước trả sau
Eat first, pay after — enjoying now what must be settled later.
ăn trầu cách mắt
Betel passed over one guest — the gift that skips an eye makes an enemy of it.
ăn trầu gẫm
Chewing betel in thought — turning the world over slowly, quid in cheek.
ăn trắng mặc trơn
to live a life of leisure, comfort, and wealth
ăn trộm có tang, chơi ngang có tích
Theft leaves evidence, mischief leaves a record — wrongdoing files its own paperwork.
ăn trộm quen tay, ngủ ngày quen mắt
Thieving trains the hand as day-sleep trains the eye — practice a vice and it becomes your nature.
ăn tàn phá hại
to be extremely destructive and wasteful; to consume resources without contributing anything
ăn tấm trả giặt
Eat broken rice, repay whole grains — borrow small and repay large, as gambling debts go.
ăn tục nói phét
to habitually use foul language and tell tall tales or lies
ăn vỏ dưa, thấy vỏ dừa mà sợ
Slipped on a melon rind, now afraid of coconut husks — one fall, and every peel looks lethal.
ăn xôi chùa ngọng miệng
Temple sticky-rice ties the tongue — accept a benefactor's food and your honest opinions choke.
ăn xổi
to eat food (usually vegetables) that has been pickled or prepared for immediate consumption
ăn xổi ở thì
short-sighted, lacking foresight; temporary, makeshift
ăn ốc nói mò
To eat snails and talk by groping — to make baseless guesses; to speak without knowing the facts.
ăn ở xởi lởi ông trời gởi cho
Live open-handed and heaven keeps you stocked — generosity is a supply line, not a leak.
ải mĩ nhân
The beauty pass — the trap where a man's judgment goes to die; seduction deployed with intent.
ấm a ấm ớ
Humming and hawing — mumbling evasively, never giving a straight answer.
ấm cật no lòng
Warm-backed and full-bellied — living in comfort and plenty.
ấm ớ hội tề
Mumbling like the village council — deliberately vague, neither confirming nor denying.
ấp rắn vào ngực
To clutch a snake to your chest — to shelter someone who will turn on you.
ầu ơ, gió đưa bụi chuối sau hè Anh mê vợ bé bỏ bè con thơ
Lullaby: wind stirs the banana clump behind the house — he chases the minor wife and abandons raft and children — the deserted family's cradle song.
ầu ơ, gió đưa gió đẩy về rẫy ăn còng Về sông ăn cá, về đồng ăn cua
Lullaby: wind blows and shoves — to the clearing for còng crabs, to the river for fish, to the fields for crabs — the roaming song of making-do.
ậm à ậm ừ
Umming and ahing — grunting vaguely to dodge every question at hand.
ai bảo giời không có mắt
Vietnamese proverb; English definition pending editorial review.
ai cũng muốn phấn dồi mặt, chứ ai muốn phấn dồi gót chân
Everyone wants to show their good side, not their bad side
ai cười hở mười cái răng
Someone who laughs a lot is likely hiding something
ai giàu ba họ, ai khó ba đời
Wealth and hardship can affect multiple generations
ai giồng cây sen cho nàng ăn quả, ai giồng cây vả cho nàng hái hoa
One reaps what they sow
ai hay mặc ai, ai dở mặc ai
One's actions have consequences for oneself
ai làm cho bướm lìa hoa, cho chim xanh nỡ bay qua vườn hồng. Ai đi muôn dặm non sông, để ai chất chứa sầu đong vơi đầy
One who leaves must bear the pain of separation
ai lỡ thì ăn
Those who make a mistake must accept the consequences
ai nói làm sao bào hao làm vậy
It's easy to talk, but hard to act
ai thương tìm tới, ai ghét lánh thân
Those who like you will seek you out, those who dislike you will avoid you
Ai về Hà Tĩnh thì về
Whoever goes to Ha Tinh will return
Ai về Nhượng Bạn thì về
Those who are not wanted should leave
ai về Nhượng Bạn thì về, gạo nhiều, cá lắm, dễ bề làm ăn
A place with abundant resources and opportunities
Ai về nhớ Vải Ninh Hòa
Remember one's hometown
ai về nhớ Vải Ninh Hòa, nhớ cau Hổ Bái, nhớ cà Đan Nê, nhớ dừa Quảng Hán, lựu Khê, nhớ cơm chợ Bản, thịt dê Quán Lào
Longing for one's hometown and its specialties
Ai về Tuy Phước ăn nem
Someone who has been away for a long time
ai về Tuy Phước ăn nem, ghé qua Hưng Thạnh mà xem Tháp Chàm
Someone who has been away for a long time will visit their hometown
Ai về tôi gửi buồng cau
Someone is entrusted to take care of something
Ai về đến huyện Sa Pa
Everyone has their own strengths
ai về đến huyện Sa Pa Nhớ xem phong cảnh nóc nhà Đông Dương
Remember to appreciate the beauty of life
Ai về đến huyện Đông Anh
to reach a critical point