cây vạy ghét mực tàu ngăy

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

Meaning · English

Crooked timber hates the straight ink-line — the dishonest resent the rule that shows them bent.

Literally: the warped tree hates the straight chalk-line
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 “cây vạy ghét mực tàu ngăy” mean?

Crooked timber hates the straight ink-line — the dishonest resent the rule that shows them bent. Literally: the warped tree hates the straight chalk-line

Is “cây vạy ghét mực tàu ngăy” formal or informal?

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