gậy bà đập lưng bà
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Grandma's own stick lands on grandma's back — the weapon returning to its owner.
Literally: her stick strikes her own back
Examples
Gậy ông đập lưng ông, gậy bà đập lưng bà.His stick lands on his own back — and hers on hers.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “gậy bà đập lưng bà” mean?
Grandma's own stick lands on grandma's back — the weapon returning to its owner. Literally: her stick strikes her own back
Is “gậy bà đập lưng bà” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.