khôn ba năm, dại một giờ
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
Even smart people can have a momentary lapse in judgement. / Even Homer sometimes nods.
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗
Sense 2
Meaning · English
It only takes an hour of stupidity (dại một giờ) to negate the smartness of three years (khôn ba năm)
Common questions
What does “khôn ba năm, dại một giờ” mean?
Even smart people can have a momentary lapse in judgement. / Even Homer sometimes nods.
Is “khôn ba năm, dại một giờ” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.