con công chẳng giống lông cũng giống kiến

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

Meaning · English

The peacock's chick, if not its feathers then its gait — breeding shows one way or another.

Literally: peacock child: if not the plumes, then the walk
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 “con công chẳng giống lông cũng giống kiến” mean?

The peacock's chick, if not its feathers then its gait — breeding shows one way or another. Literally: peacock child: if not the plumes, then the walk

Is “con công chẳng giống lông cũng giống kiến” formal or informal?

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