Đồng tiền không phấn không hồ
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Something is not worthwhile without investment or effort
Literally: copper coin without powder or lake
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Không có sự cố gắng thì không thành công, đồng tiền không phấn không hồWithout effort, there's no success, something is not worthwhile without investment
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Ca dao Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Đồng tiền không phấn không hồ” mean?
Something is not worthwhile without investment or effort Literally: copper coin without powder or lake
Is “Đồng tiền không phấn không hồ” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.