hoạ vô đan chí, phúc bất trùng lai
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Misfortune never calls once; good luck never calls twice — the traffic laws of fortune.
Literally: calamity not single-arriving; blessing not twice-returning
Examples
Họa vô đơn chí, phúc bất trùng lai.Troubles travel in convoy; luck travels alone.
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 “hoạ vô đan chí, phúc bất trùng lai” mean?
Misfortune never calls once; good luck never calls twice — the traffic laws of fortune. Literally: calamity not single-arriving; blessing not twice-returning
Is “hoạ vô đan chí, phúc bất trùng lai” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.