còn cha gót đỏ như son, một mai cha thác, gót con như chì

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

Meaning · English

While father lives the child's heels are rouge-red; when he dies they turn to lead — a parent's shelter is the child's shine.

Literally: father living, heels red as rouge; father dead, heels like lead
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 “còn cha gót đỏ như son, một mai cha thác, gót con như chì” mean?

While father lives the child's heels are rouge-red; when he dies they turn to lead — a parent's shelter is the child's shine. Literally: father living, heels red as rouge; father dead, heels like lead

Is “còn cha gót đỏ như son, một mai cha thác, gót con như chì” formal or informal?

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