Hỏi thì nói, gọi thì thưa
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
To be respectful and obedient when asked or called upon
Literally: Ask then say, call then comply
Examples
Khi được hỏi thì nói, khi được gọi thì thưaWhen asked, speak; when called, comply
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-06; pending editor spot-check.
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Common questions
What does “Hỏi thì nói, gọi thì thưa” mean?
To be respectful and obedient when asked or called upon Literally: Ask then say, call then comply
Is “Hỏi thì nói, gọi thì thưa” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
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