ăn hả hả, trả ỷ ỷ
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Borrow beaming, repay cringing — the two faces of every loan.
Literally: eat ha-ha, repay meekly
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “ăn hả hả, trả ỷ ỷ” mean?
Borrow beaming, repay cringing — the two faces of every loan. Literally: eat ha-ha, repay meekly
Is “ăn hả hả, trả ỷ ỷ” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.