kẻ tham công người tiếc việc
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
One grudges the effort, the other the interruption — two thrifts colliding over the same task.
Literally: one covets the labor, the other begrudges the task
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 “kẻ tham công người tiếc việc” mean?
One grudges the effort, the other the interruption — two thrifts colliding over the same task. Literally: one covets the labor, the other begrudges the task
Is “kẻ tham công người tiếc việc” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.