được vạ thì má đã sưng
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
By the time damages are won, the cheek has long been swollen — compensation never undoes the blow.
Literally: win the claim and the cheek's already swollen
Examples
Kiện thì kiện, được vạ thì má đã sưng.Sue if you like — by the time you win, the cheek's already swollen.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Vietnamese Wiktionary, Thể loại:Thành ngữ tiếng Việt (CC BY-SA 4.0); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “được vạ thì má đã sưng” mean?
By the time damages are won, the cheek has long been swollen — compensation never undoes the blow. Literally: win the claim and the cheek's already swollen
Is “được vạ thì má đã sưng” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.