chết trẻ khỏe ma, chết già lú lẩn
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Die young, a nimble ghost; die old, a muddled one — mortality's consolation for the early-taken.
Literally: young dead, sprightly ghost; old dead, addled
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 “chết trẻ khỏe ma, chết già lú lẩn” mean?
Die young, a nimble ghost; die old, a muddled one — mortality's consolation for the early-taken. Literally: young dead, sprightly ghost; old dead, addled
Is “chết trẻ khỏe ma, chết già lú lẩn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.