không voi bò làm lớn
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.