biết ngứa đâu mà gãi
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Where's the itch I'm meant to scratch? — wanting to help with no idea where help is wanted.
Literally: know where it itches to scratch?
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 “biết ngứa đâu mà gãi” mean?
Where's the itch I'm meant to scratch? — wanting to help with no idea where help is wanted. Literally: know where it itches to scratch?
Is “biết ngứa đâu mà gãi” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.