Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

Có tiếng mà chả có tăm

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Having a reputation but lacking actual ability

Literally: having name but no toothpick

Examples

Anh ấy có tiếng mà chả có tăm, làm việc gì cũng thất bạiHe has a reputation but lacks actual ability, failing at everything he does

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-06; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “Có tiếng mà chả có tăm” mean?

Having a reputation but lacking actual ability Literally: having name but no toothpick

Is “Có tiếng mà chả có tăm” formal or informal?

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

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