Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

Bá vai bá cổ

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Someone who is only slightly better or more capable than another

Literally: shoulder to shoulder

Examples

Anh ta chỉ bá vai bá cổ so với người mới vào làmHe is only slightly better than the new employee

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-05; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “Bá vai bá cổ” mean?

Someone who is only slightly better or more capable than another Literally: shoulder to shoulder

Is “Bá vai bá cổ” formal or informal?

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

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