gia bần trí đoản
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A poor house shortens the wit — want leaves no slack for thinking far.
Literally: family poor, wisdom short
Examples
Túng quá hoá quẩn, gia bần trí đoản.Hard-up and hemmed in — poverty shortens the wit.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
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 “gia bần trí đoản” mean?
A poor house shortens the wit — want leaves no slack for thinking far. Literally: family poor, wisdom short
Is “gia bần trí đoản” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.