ăn bớt bát, nói bớt nhời
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
One bowl fewer at the table, one word fewer in the mouth — moderation twice over.
Literally: reduce a bowl, reduce a word
Examples
Ăn bớt bát, nói bớt lời.One bowl less, one word less.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “ăn bớt bát, nói bớt nhời” mean?
One bowl fewer at the table, one word fewer in the mouth — moderation twice over. Literally: reduce a bowl, reduce a word
Is “ăn bớt bát, nói bớt nhời” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.