bắt chuột không hay, hay ỉa bếp
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
No good at mousing, expert at fouling the kitchen — useless where needed, busy where not.
Literally: can't catch mice, defecates on the hearth well
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 “bắt chuột không hay, hay ỉa bếp” mean?
No good at mousing, expert at fouling the kitchen — useless where needed, busy where not. Literally: can't catch mice, defecates on the hearth well
Is “bắt chuột không hay, hay ỉa bếp” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.