đầu voi đuôi chuột

[ʔɗəw˨˩ vɔj˧˧ ʔɗuəj˧˧ t͡ɕuət̚˧˨ʔ]

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

Sense 1

Meaning · English

(adjective) started with a lot of fanfare but petering out to nothing

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bắt đầu long trọng nhưng kết thúc vô ích

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Sense 2

Meaning · English

(adjective) broad in the front and narrow in the back

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

rộng ở phía trước và hẹp ở phía sau

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Common questions

What does “đầu voi đuôi chuột” mean?

(adjective) started with a lot of fanfare but petering out to nothing

Is “đầu voi đuôi chuột” formal or informal?

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