Đánh đông dẹp bắc, làm trai đi ngược về xuôi
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Do things in a disorganized and inefficient manner
Examples
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-08; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Đánh đông dẹp bắc, làm trai đi ngược về xuôi” mean?
Do things in a disorganized and inefficient manner Literally: Hit the east to subdue the north, go against the current when going and follow the current when returning
Is “Đánh đông dẹp bắc, làm trai đi ngược về xuôi” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.