cú kêu dữ miệng cú

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

Meaning · English

The owl's cry curses the owl's own mouth — the bringer of ill omens keeps the ill.

Literally: the owl calls evil onto its own beak
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 “cú kêu dữ miệng cú” mean?

The owl's cry curses the owl's own mouth — the bringer of ill omens keeps the ill. Literally: the owl calls evil onto its own beak

Is “cú kêu dữ miệng cú” formal or informal?

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