có phúc đẻ con biết lội, có tội đẻ con biết trèo
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: có phúc đẻ con biết lội, có tội đẻ con hay trèo
Meaning · English
Some children are naturally gifted, while others are not.
Literally: Having fortune gives birth to children who know how to swim, having sin gives birth to children who know how to climb
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.
Common questions
What does “có phúc đẻ con biết lội, có tội đẻ con biết trèo” mean?
Some children are naturally gifted, while others are not. Literally: Having fortune gives birth to children who know how to swim, having sin gives birth to children who know how to climb
Is “có phúc đẻ con biết lội, có tội đẻ con biết trèo” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.