cầm cân nảy mực
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: cầm cân nẩy mực
Meaning · English
Holding the scales and snapping the ink-line — to arbitrate; to be the one who sets the fair standard.
Literally: hold the balance, snap the carpenter's line
Examples
Trọng tài phải cầm cân nảy mực cho công bằng.A referee must hold the scales and snap the line straight.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Vietnamese Wiktionary, Thể loại:Thành ngữ tiếng Việt (CC BY-SA 4.0); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “cầm cân nảy mực” mean?
Holding the scales and snapping the ink-line — to arbitrate; to be the one who sets the fair standard. Literally: hold the balance, snap the carpenter's line
Is “cầm cân nảy mực” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.