Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

hồ giả hổ oai

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

The fox borrowing the tiger's terror — swagger rented from the power standing behind.

Literally: fox fakes the tiger's majesty

Examples

Cậy thế ông chủ mà nạt người, hồ giả hổ oai.Bullying on the boss's shadow — the fox in the tiger's terror.

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 “hồ giả hổ oai” mean?

The fox borrowing the tiger's terror — swagger rented from the power standing behind. Literally: fox fakes the tiger's majesty

Is “hồ giả hổ oai” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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