Ăn cơm với cáy thì ngáy o o, ăn cơm với thịt bò thì lo ngay ngáy
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Being with inferior people makes one feel superior, but being with superior people makes one feel inferior
Literally: Eating rice with shrimp makes one snore, eating rice with beef makes one lie awake
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Tục ngữ Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Ăn cơm với cáy thì ngáy o o, ăn cơm với thịt bò thì lo ngay ngáy” mean?
Being with inferior people makes one feel superior, but being with superior people makes one feel inferior Literally: Eating rice with shrimp makes one snore, eating rice with beef makes one lie awake
Is “Ăn cơm với cáy thì ngáy o o, ăn cơm với thịt bò thì lo ngay ngáy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.