chẳng lấy cũng khuấy cho hôi
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
If I can't have it, I'll spoil it for smelling — the jilted suitor's revenge of fouling what refused him.
Literally: not taking it, still stir it to stink
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 “chẳng lấy cũng khuấy cho hôi” mean?
If I can't have it, I'll spoil it for smelling — the jilted suitor's revenge of fouling what refused him. Literally: not taking it, still stir it to stink
Is “chẳng lấy cũng khuấy cho hôi” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.