bán anh em xa, mua láng-diềng gần
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Sell the distant kin, buy the near neighbor — proximity outbids blood when the lamp goes out.
Literally: sell far siblings, buy close neighbors
Examples
Bán anh em xa, mua láng giềng gần.Trade the far kin for the near neighbor.
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 “bán anh em xa, mua láng-diềng gần” mean?
Sell the distant kin, buy the near neighbor — proximity outbids blood when the lamp goes out. Literally: sell far siblings, buy close neighbors
Is “bán anh em xa, mua láng-diềng gần” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.