gánh vã buôn thuyền
Plowing for hire, hoeing for wages — the landless day's labor, sold field by field.
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Where will you be? Anywhere Hà Nội & the NorthHuế / Đà Nẵng & the CenterSài Gòn & the SouthOnline slang Bắc ↔ Nam words
gây thù chuốc oán
Sowing feuds and buying grudges — making enemies whose hatred comes back on you.
gây tê ngoài màng cứng
to administer an epidural; epidural anesthesia
gãi đúng chỗ ngứa
Scratching right where it itches — hitting exactly what someone was hoping for.
gãi đầu gãi tai
Scratching head and ear — squirming over something awkward to say or solve.
gét gô
Bring it on.
gìa lăm gìa hỏng
Count on it hard and watch it miss — what's banked on never lands; the accidental arrives instead.
gìa sanh tật, đất sanh cỏ
Age sprouts infirmities as soil sprouts weeds — the years plant what they please.
gò bồng đảo
The mounds of the Isles of Bliss — a woman's breasts, in Hồ Xuân Hương's sly classical geography.
gòy soq
Cutesy texting spelling of "rồi xong" — "welp, that's it, it's over", said with mock resignation.
góc bể chân trời
Sea-corners and sky's edge — the far ends of the earth; immeasurable distance.
gót chân A-sin
Achilles heel; weakness
gông đeo cổ
A cangue around the neck — a burden locked on that goes everywhere you do.
gươm cầm đằng chuôi
Holding the sword by the hilt — advantage secured at the handle end.
gươm hai lưỡi
A two-edged sword — help and harm sharing one blade.
gươm kề cổ
A sword at the neck — persuasion by proximity of blade.
gươm đàn quảy gánh
A sword, a lute and a carrying-pole — the free-roaming life of the wandering artist.
gương tày liếp
A warning big as a bamboo screen — a predecessor's failure hung up where none can miss it.
gương vỡ lại lành
a situation where a couple reunites after their break-up or divorce
gạn đục khơi trong
separate the wheat from the chaff
gạo châu củi quế
Rice dear as pearls, firewood dear as cinnamon — the market at famine prices.
gạo đã thành cơm
The rice is already cooked — what's done has set and cannot be uncooked.
gảy đòn gánh giữa đường
The carrying-pole snapping mid-road — a marriage broken in its middle years.
gấu bự
Big bear — an extra-sized (or extra-beloved) boyfriend/girlfriend; “gấu” is the classic slang for one’s S.O.
gần chùa gọi bụt bằng anh
to treat somebody, especially a superior, overly casually due to familiarity
gần mực thì đen, gần đèn thì sáng
You take on the character of the company you keep — bad company corrupts, good company uplifts.
gần nhà xa ngõ
Near by houses, far by lanes — neighbors the map calls close and the path calls distant.
gần đàng xa ngõ
Near by the road, far by the gate — neighbors in distance, strangers in visits.
gần đất xa trời
to have one foot in the grave; to be dying; to be close to death
gậy bà đập lưng bà
Grandma's own stick lands on grandma's back — the weapon returning to its owner.
gậy ông đập lưng ông
Close to the English saying: “Hoist with his own petard.”.
gắng công mài sắt, chầy ngày nên kim
Grind the iron long enough and it becomes a needle — patience is the whole of the craft.
gắp lửa bỏ tay người
to pass the buck; to weasel out; to slander
gắt như mắm tôm
easily irritable
gọi bụt bằng anh
Calling the Buddha 'big brother' — familiarity at maximum insolence.
gọi đồ ăn, đồ uống
to order food and drinks
gội đầu vấn tóc
Washing the hair and binding it up — the courteous welcome owed to a worthy person.
gởi trấng cho ác
Entrusting eggs to the raven — deposit made straight into the appetite of the keeper.
gỡ rối tơ lòng
Untangling the heart's silk — easing someone's knotted troubles; the agony-aunt's trade.
gừng càng già càng cay
the older a person is, the wiser they are; a person is more and more experienced as they age
gửi trứng cho ác
to hand or entrust one's treasure to a feigning baddie
gai ngọn dọn hơn gai gốc
The consequence is easier to deal with than the root cause
gan bà cố
Very brave or daring
gan già ma mọi
Old but still energetic and active
ghét của nào, trời trao của ấy
You will get what you dislike
ghét đào đất đổ đi
To reject something because of a small flaw
ghế bành tượng
a person who holds a position without doing any work
giai chửa vợ bạc đầy cong, gái chửa chồng tiền đầy gác
A pregnant wife brings wealth to the family
giai có vợ như giỏ có hom
A husband and wife are meant to be together
giai có vợ tề-gia nội-chợ
Vietnamese proverb; English definition pending editorial review.
giai khôn lắm nước đái
Too much thinking can lead to confusion
giai khôn mài dao dạy vợ
A clever wife can teach her husband
giai khôn tìm vợ
Intelligent people find good spouses
giai lành gái tốt
A good husband deserves a good wife
giai phải vợ cò-bợ giời mưa
Make the best of a bad situation
giai phải vợ như cò bợ giời mưa, gái phải giai như thài-lài cứt chó
A husband should be like a rooster and a wife like a hen
giai tay trái, gái tay mặt
Men work with their left hand, women with their face
giai thì loạn, gái thì bình
Men cause trouble, women bring peace
giai xóm trại gái hàng cơm
A person who frequently visits or hangs out at a place, especially for personal gain
gieo mạ còn phải kén giống
Be selective even in trivial matters