Đói thì sang Bắc, chạy giặc xuống Nam
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
When in hardship, go north, and when in war, go south
Literally: Hungry then go North, flee enemy to the South
Examples
Khi mất việc, anh ấy nhớ câu Đói thì sang Bắc, chạy giặc xuống Nam và quyết định lên Hà Nội tìm cơ hộiWhen he lost his job, he recalled the proverb Đói thì sang Bắc, chạy giặc xuống Nam and decided to go to Hanoi to find opportunities
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 2026-08-08; pending editor spot-check.
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Common questions
What does “Đói thì sang Bắc, chạy giặc xuống Nam” mean?
When in hardship, go north, and when in war, go south Literally: Hungry then go North, flee enemy to the South
Is “Đói thì sang Bắc, chạy giặc xuống Nam” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
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