giao long ly thủy, thất phu khả chế
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A dragon out of water is any man's captive — the hero off his ground can be handled by a nobody.
Literally: the flood-dragon leaving water, a common fellow can subdue
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 “giao long ly thủy, thất phu khả chế” mean?
A dragon out of water is any man's captive — the hero off his ground can be handled by a nobody. Literally: the flood-dragon leaving water, a common fellow can subdue
Is “giao long ly thủy, thất phu khả chế” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.