đắt là quế ế là củi
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Selling well, it's cinnamon; unsold, it's firewood — the same bark, priced by demand alone.
Literally: dear: cinnamon; unsold: kindling
Examples
Hàng hot thì khen, ế thì chê — đắt là quế ế là củi.Hot, it's cinnamon; unsold, it's firewood — same bark.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
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 “đắt là quế ế là củi” mean?
Selling well, it's cinnamon; unsold, it's firewood — the same bark, priced by demand alone. Literally: dear: cinnamon; unsold: kindling
Is “đắt là quế ế là củi” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.