ăn trầu gẫm

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Chewing betel in thought — turning the world over slowly, quid in cheek.

Literally: chew betel and ponder
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 trầu gẫm” mean?

Chewing betel in thought — turning the world over slowly, quid in cheek. Literally: chew betel and ponder

Is “ăn trầu gẫm” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.