Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

không voi bò làm lớn

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

Meaning · English

No elephant, so the ox stands tallest — rank by default; the throne of the absent.

Literally: without elephants, the ox is the big one

Examples

Không voi bò làm lớn, sếp nghỉ thì phó lên thay.No elephant, the ox presides — the deputy reigns while the chief's away.

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 “không voi bò làm lớn” mean?

No elephant, so the ox stands tallest — rank by default; the throne of the absent. Literally: without elephants, the ox is the big one

Is “không voi bò làm lớn” formal or informal?

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

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