hoạn đắc hoạn thất
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Fretting to gain, fretting to keep — a life spent clenched around having.
Literally: anxious to obtain, anxious to lose
Examples
Cả đời hoạn đắc hoạn thất, chẳng lúc nào yên.A whole life fretting to get and fretting to keep — never a still hour.
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 “hoạn đắc hoạn thất” mean?
Fretting to gain, fretting to keep — a life spent clenched around having. Literally: anxious to obtain, anxious to lose
Is “hoạn đắc hoạn thất” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.