cơm tẻ là mẹ ruột

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Plain rice is the true mother — the humble staple that actually keeps you alive.

Literally: ordinary rice is the birth mother

Examples

Cơm tẻ là mẹ ruột.Plain rice is the mother that feeds you.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “cơm tẻ là mẹ ruột” mean?

Plain rice is the true mother — the humble staple that actually keeps you alive. Literally: ordinary rice is the birth mother

Is “cơm tẻ là mẹ ruột” formal or informal?

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