ăn có nhai, nói có nghĩ
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Chew before swallowing, think before speaking — the mouth's two duties, both requiring pause.
Literally: eating has chewing, speaking has thinking
Examples
Ăn có nhai, nói có nghĩ.Chew your food, chew your words.
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 có nhai, nói có nghĩ” mean?
Chew before swallowing, think before speaking — the mouth's two duties, both requiring pause. Literally: eating has chewing, speaking has thinking
Is “ăn có nhai, nói có nghĩ” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.