Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

khó nằm giữa chợ chẳng ai han, giàu ở lâm san, ghe kẻ tìm tới

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Also seen as: khó giữa chợ chẳng ai hỏi-han, giầu sơn lâm lắm kẻ tìm đến

Meaning · English

Poor in the market's middle, unasked-after; rich in the deep forest, sought by boats — money, not distance, decides your visitors.

Literally: poor mid-market, none inquires; rich in the woods, many arrive

Examples

Lúc sa cơ mới hiểu: khó giữa chợ chẳng ai han.Only in ruin do you learn — poor mid-market, nobody asks after you.

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 “khó nằm giữa chợ chẳng ai han, giàu ở lâm san, ghe kẻ tìm tới” mean?

Poor in the market's middle, unasked-after; rich in the deep forest, sought by boats — money, not distance, decides your visitors. Literally: poor mid-market, none inquires; rich in the woods, many arrive

Is “khó nằm giữa chợ chẳng ai han, giàu ở lâm san, ghe kẻ tìm tới” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.