hay chữ chẳng bằng hay giữ
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Book-clever is less than conduct-clever — learning unpracticed is knowing the twig-ends only.
Literally: good at letters can't match good at keeping
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 “hay chữ chẳng bằng hay giữ” mean?
Book-clever is less than conduct-clever — learning unpracticed is knowing the twig-ends only. Literally: good at letters can't match good at keeping
Is “hay chữ chẳng bằng hay giữ” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.