Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

béo chê ngậy gầy chê tanh

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

Meaning · English

Plump — 'too rich'; thin — 'too fishy' — the fault-finder's menu has no acceptable dish.

Literally: fat: scorned as greasy; lean: scorned as fishy

Examples

Béo chê ngậy, gầy chê tanh.Too plump is greasy, too thin is fishy — nothing pleases.

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 “béo chê ngậy gầy chê tanh” mean?

Plump — 'too rich'; thin — 'too fishy' — the fault-finder's menu has no acceptable dish. Literally: fat: scorned as greasy; lean: scorned as fishy

Is “béo chê ngậy gầy chê tanh” formal or informal?

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

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