Khôn ba năm, dại một giờ. Biết vậy dại sớm khỏi chờ ba năm
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Intelligence takes time to develop, but foolishness can happen instantly
Literally: Intelligent three years, foolish one hour. Know thus foolish early avoid waiting three years
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Tục ngữ Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30); 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 “Khôn ba năm, dại một giờ. Biết vậy dại sớm khỏi chờ ba năm” mean?
Intelligence takes time to develop, but foolishness can happen instantly Literally: Intelligent three years, foolish one hour. Know thus foolish early avoid waiting three years
Is “Khôn ba năm, dại một giờ. Biết vậy dại sớm khỏi chờ ba năm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.