của chẳng ngon chớ nào lỗ miệng

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

Meaning · English

The gift needn't be delicious to honor the mouth — devotion, not delicacy, gives the offering its worth.

Literally: unappetizing goods still no insult to the mouth
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 “của chẳng ngon chớ nào lỗ miệng” mean?

The gift needn't be delicious to honor the mouth — devotion, not delicacy, gives the offering its worth. Literally: unappetizing goods still no insult to the mouth

Is “của chẳng ngon chớ nào lỗ miệng” formal or informal?

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