cha ăn mặn, con khát nước
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The father eats salty, the child grows thirsty — one generation's excesses billed to the next.
Literally: father eats salted, child thirsts
Examples
Đời cha ăn mặn, đời con khát nước.Father dines salty; the child inherits the thirst.
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 “cha ăn mặn, con khát nước” mean?
The father eats salty, the child grows thirsty — one generation's excesses billed to the next. Literally: father eats salted, child thirsts
Is “cha ăn mặn, con khát nước” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.