đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
One must remain decent and honorable in spite of hardship.
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm.A clean fast is better than a dirty breakfast.
Tatoeba sentence #9735871 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗
Common questions
What does “đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm” mean?
One must remain decent and honorable in spite of hardship.
Is “đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.