đắng như bồ hòn
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Bitter as soap-nut — the proverbial worst taste, swallowed whole.
Literally: bitter as the soapberry
Examples
Ngậm bồ hòn làm ngọt.Holding the soap-nut and calling it sweet.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “đắng như bồ hòn” mean?
Bitter as soap-nut — the proverbial worst taste, swallowed whole. Literally: bitter as the soapberry
Is “đắng như bồ hòn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.