Hỡi cô tát nước bên đàng
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Someone who is completely unhelpful or uninvolved
Literally: call the aunt who pours water by the side of the road
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Anh ấy chỉ biết nói mà không giúp gì, thật là hơi cô tát nước bên đàng.He just talks and doesn't help, what a complete bystander.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Ca dao Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Hỡi cô tát nước bên đàng” mean?
Someone who is completely unhelpful or uninvolved Literally: call the aunt who pours water by the side of the road
Is “Hỡi cô tát nước bên đàng” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.