khôn thì sống, mống thì chết
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: khôn sống mống chết
Meaning · English
The quick live, the slow die — wits are the first survival equipment.
Literally: smart: live; dull-sprouted: die
Examples
Thời buổi ấy khôn thì sống mống thì chết.In those days the quick lived and the slow died.
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 “khôn thì sống, mống thì chết” mean?
The quick live, the slow die — wits are the first survival equipment. Literally: smart: live; dull-sprouted: die
Is “khôn thì sống, mống thì chết” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.