Tiếng Việt · Idiom Candidate

chủ vắng nhà, gà vọc niêu tôm

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: chủ vắng nhà gà vọc niêu tôm

Sense 1

Meaning · English

when the cat's away the mice will play

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Sense 2

Meaning · English

When the owner is away, others take advantage

Literally: owner absent, chicken pecks pot of shrimp

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Sources & notes

Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Tục ngữ Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent when the cat's away, the mice will play People misbehave or relax when the person in charge is absent. English Near equivalent whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right One's beliefs about their ability influence their success English Direct equivalent vắng chủ nhà, gà vọc niêu tôm When the person in charge is away, those left behind misbehave or run wild. Tiếng Việt · via when the cat's away, the mice will play

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Topics: Chickens Crabs & shellfish

Common questions

What does “chủ vắng nhà, gà vọc niêu tôm” mean?

when the cat's away the mice will play

Is “chủ vắng nhà, gà vọc niêu tôm” formal or informal?

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

What is the closest equivalent?

“when the cat's away, the mice will play” (English) — near equivalent.