của làm ăn no, của cho ăn đói
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: của làm ăn no, của cho ăn thèm
Meaning · English
Wealth earned is spent lavishly, but wealth given is used sparingly
Literally: Earnings to eat one's fill, gifts to eat one's hunger
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Tục ngữ Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “của làm ăn no, của cho ăn đói” mean?
Wealth earned is spent lavishly, but wealth given is used sparingly Literally: Earnings to eat one's fill, gifts to eat one's hunger
Is “của làm ăn no, của cho ăn đói” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.