Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

không ăn ốc phải đổ vỏ

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

Meaning · English

Never ate the snails, still stuck with the shells — the mess assigned to whoever missed the meal.

Literally: didn't eat the snails, must dump the shells

Examples

Kẻ ăn ốc, người đổ vỏ.One eats the snails; another hauls the shells.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “không ăn ốc phải đổ vỏ” mean?

Never ate the snails, still stuck with the shells — the mess assigned to whoever missed the meal. Literally: didn't eat the snails, must dump the shells

Is “không ăn ốc phải đổ vỏ” formal or informal?

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

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