Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

Đỉa bám lên, sên bám xuống

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Those in higher positions cling to power, while those below try to climb up

Literally: leeches cling up, worms cling down

Examples

Người ta thường nói đỉa bám lên, sên bám xuống khi mô tả tình trạng tham nhũngPeople often say đỉa bám lên, sên bám xuống when describing corrupt situations

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-09; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “Đỉa bám lên, sên bám xuống” mean?

Those in higher positions cling to power, while those below try to climb up Literally: leeches cling up, worms cling down

Is “Đỉa bám lên, sên bám xuống” formal or informal?

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

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