chim sợ cành cong
Close to the English saying: “once bitten, twice shy.”.
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chim trời ai dễ đếm lông
Who could count the feathers of the sky's birds — the unaccountable, in one line.
chim trời cá nước
Sky-birds and water-fish — the untethered, at home nowhere and everywhere.
chiên ghẻ
a group's member who adversely influences on other members and besmirches a group's reputation; a bad apple
chiêng làng dùi dứa
The village gong beaten with a pineapple-leaf stick — token effort loudly performed.
chiềng cha chiềng chú
Hear ye, fathers and uncles — the old crier's opening; the village grapevine convened.
chiều chiều ra đứng ngõ sau Trông về quê mẹ ruột đau chín chiều
Evening after evening at the back gate, gazing toward mother's village — a gut aching nine ways at dusk — homesickness's most quoted couplet.
cho hỏi
The universal question opener — "may I ask…" — soften any request to a stranger by leading with it; fuller form "làm ơn cho hỏi" is extra-polite.
cho rồi
just so that I/we can forget about this and move on
cho tôi cái này
Point-and-order: "I'll take this one" — the menu-independent survival move; swap "tôi" for "em/anh/chị" to match the seller.
cho xin hai chữ bình yên
A weary "just give me some peace" — half-plea, half-snark asking someone to stop bothering you; the Vietnamese "give me a break".
choáng luôn
Stunned outright — "choáng" (dizzy with shock) plus the sealing "luôn": knocked flat by a number, a reveal, a price tag.
chs
Texting shortcut for “chả hiểu sao” — no idea why / somehow.
chu pa pi mô nha nhố
A nonsense phrase meaning roughly "I know nothing about it" — feigned innocence, borrowed from the Spanish-language "Chupapi Muñañyo" prank meme.
chua chanh chát muối
Lime-sour and salt-bitter words — the tart little cruelties lovers trade.
chua như dấm
Sour as vinegar — tartness at full strength.
chung thì chạ
What's held in common gets tangled — joint ventures breed quarrels.
chuyền bóng mắt lác
Cross-eyed passing — deliberate misdirection that leaves the other side not knowing where to look.
chuyện nhỏ như con thỏ
“No big deal” — a trivially easy matter, with a rabbit rhyme for flavor.
chuyện thường ngày ở huyện
a negative occurrence or situation within a community but is such commonplace that no one even bothers to bat an eye anymore
chuyện đâu còn có đó
things are still salvageable
chuông Châu, trống Ủng, mõ Đầu
The bell of Châu, the drum of Ủng, the clapper of Đầu — three villages, three famous voices.
chuông chẳng đánh chẳng kêu, đèn chẳng khêu chẳng sáng
An unstruck bell is silent; an untrimmed lamp is dark — merit unannounced goes unknown.
chuông khánh còn chẳng ăn ai, nữa là mảnh chĩnh
Even bell and chime win no notice — what chance has a potsherd — if the distinguished go unheard, the ordinary needn't ask.
chuông kêu thử tiếng
Test the bell by its ring — quality auditioned before purchase; people, by their speech.
chuẩn bài
Exactly by the book, perfectly on point — an approving stamp that something was said or done just the way it should be.
chuẩn cơm mẹ nấu
Up to mom's-cooking standard — exactly right; the authentic, satisfying real deal.
chuỗi cửa hàng đồ ăn nhanh
fast-food chain
chuột bầy làm chẳng nên hang
A swarm of mice digs no burrow — without a leader, many hands build nothing.
chuột sa chình nếp
A mouse dropped into the sticky-rice crock — the poor man landed in a rich marriage.
chuột sa chĩnh gạo
A mouse dropped into the rice crock — poverty landing in plenty.
chuột sa hũ nếp
A mouse fallen into the sticky-rice jar — landing in luxury, especially by marrying into money.
chà bá lửa
Absolutely humongous — "chà bá" (huge) cranked up one more notch, with "lửa" (fire) as a pure intensifier.
chà đồ nhôm
To pilfer things from one's own home to sell, usually for pocket money or a vice — nói lái of "chôm đồ nhà" (steal the house's stuff). Southern, humorous.
chàng đâu thiếp đó
Where he goes, she follows — the old wifely rule of following the husband everywhere.
chào buổi sáng
good morning
chán như con gián
Bored out of your mind — the rhyme (chán/gián) does the comedy.
cháu bà nội tội bà ngoại
The paternal grandma's darling is the maternal grandma's chore — the grandchild's two courts, one holding the honor, one the work.
cháy hết mình
To burn all of yourself — perform, play, or party with nothing held back; the stage-culture ideal of total commitment.
cháy nhà mới ra mặt chuột
Only when something bad happens; the skeleton(s) in the closet will be revealed.
cháy nhà ra mặt chuột
When the house burns, the rats show their faces — crisis flushes out who and what was hidden.
cháy tài khoản
A burned account — losses (usually on margin) deep enough to effectively wipe the balance; also any gaming or betting account run to zero.
châm dầu vào lửa
to add more anger to an argument or quarrel
chân bùn tay lấm
Mud to the shins, grime to the hands — labor's honest uniform.
chân chỉ hạt bột
Homely as flour-bead fringe — plain, decent and hardworking.
chân chỉ hạt trai
Neat as pearl-beaded fringe — prim, plain, diligent and honest to a fault.
chân mây cuối trời
far-flung, faraway, distant, remote
chân nam chân chiêu
Left foot crossing right — the drunkard's gait, legs negotiating separately.
chân nam đá chân chiêu
misconstruction of chân đăm đá chân chiêu
chân nam đá chân xiêu
misconstruction of chân đăm đá chân chiêu
chân trời góc bể
(noun) far-flung, faraway, distant, remote place
chân đăm đá chân chiêu
walking very unstably; drunk as a lord
chân đất mắt toét
Bare feet and bleary eyes — dirt-poor and country-raw.
châu chấu thấy sáng đèn
A grasshopper at the lamp flame — dazzled by glitter, blind to the burning.
châu chấu đá xe
a grasshopper kicking the cart; a weaker side opposing a much stronger side
châu về Hợp Phố
The pearls return to Hợp Phố — what was lost finds its way back to its rightful owner.
châu-chấu đá voi
A grasshopper kicking the elephant — defiance several weight-classes up.
chè ngon khan cổ, thuốc ngon lắm đờm
Fine tea parches the throat, fine tobacco thickens the phlegm — the finest pleasures exact their tax.
chèo non vượt bể
Green oars over open sea — inexperience navigating the largest water.
chèo xuôi mát mái
Rowing with the current, oars at ease — yield to the stream and the passage is smooth.
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