đắt cá hơn rẻ thịt
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Better fish dear than meat cheap — pay for the right thing, not less for the wrong one.
Literally: costly fish over cheap meat
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 “đắt cá hơn rẻ thịt” mean?
Better fish dear than meat cheap — pay for the right thing, not less for the wrong one. Literally: costly fish over cheap meat
Is “đắt cá hơn rẻ thịt” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.