gái giống cha giàu ba họ, trai giống mẹ khó ba đời
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: con giống cha giầu ba đụn, con giống mẹ lụn đến xương
A daughter like her father enriches three clans; a son like his mother beggars three generations — the old cross-resemblance arithmetic.
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “gái giống cha giàu ba họ, trai giống mẹ khó ba đời” mean?
A daughter like her father enriches three clans; a son like his mother beggars three generations — the old cross-resemblance arithmetic. Literally: girl like father: rich three clans; boy like mother: poor three generations
Is “gái giống cha giàu ba họ, trai giống mẹ khó ba đời” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.