dầu hèn cũng ngựa nhà quan, kiều khấu rách nát, hồng nhan hãy còn

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

Meaning · English

However shabby, still the mandarin's horse — harness in tatters, the fine head remains; breeding survives its bad luck.

Literally: though humble, an official's horse: tack torn, beauty remains
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 “dầu hèn cũng ngựa nhà quan, kiều khấu rách nát, hồng nhan hãy còn” mean?

However shabby, still the mandarin's horse — harness in tatters, the fine head remains; breeding survives its bad luck. Literally: though humble, an official's horse: tack torn, beauty remains

Is “dầu hèn cũng ngựa nhà quan, kiều khấu rách nát, hồng nhan hãy còn” formal or informal?

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