cùng mẹ thì xa, cùng cha thì gần
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Same father makes near kin; same mother only, farther — the old patriline's map of closeness.
Literally: same mother: far; same father: near
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 “cùng mẹ thì xa, cùng cha thì gần” mean?
Same father makes near kin; same mother only, farther — the old patriline's map of closeness. Literally: same mother: far; same father: near
Is “cùng mẹ thì xa, cùng cha thì gần” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.