kim ngọc dị cầu, danh ô nan thục

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

Meaning · English

Gold and jade are easily sought; a stained name has no ransom — treasure is replaceable, reputation not.

Literally: gold and jade easy to seek; soiled name hard to redeem

Examples

Giữ uy tín trước đã, kim ngọc dị cầu danh ô nan thục.Guard the name first — gold is findable, a stained name unransomable.

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 “kim ngọc dị cầu, danh ô nan thục” mean?

Gold and jade are easily sought; a stained name has no ransom — treasure is replaceable, reputation not. Literally: gold and jade easy to seek; soiled name hard to redeem

Is “kim ngọc dị cầu, danh ô nan thục” formal or informal?

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