dao năng liếc thì sắc

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

Also seen as: dao năng liếc thì sắc, người năng chào thì quen

Meaning · English

A blade often honed stays sharp — practice is the whetstone of every skill.

Literally: the knife frequently stropped is keen

Examples

Dao năng liếc thì sắc, người năng chào thì quen.Blades stay sharp by honing, friendships by greeting.

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 “dao năng liếc thì sắc” mean?

A blade often honed stays sharp — practice is the whetstone of every skill. Literally: the knife frequently stropped is keen

Is “dao năng liếc thì sắc” formal or informal?

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