kíp miệng, chầy chân
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Quick of mouth, slow of foot — the tongue sprints where the legs won't follow.
Literally: hasty mouth, tardy feet
Examples
Hứa thì nhanh mà làm thì ì ạch, kíp miệng chầy chân.Quick to promise, slow to move — sprinting mouth, dawdling feet.
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 “kíp miệng, chầy chân” mean?
Quick of mouth, slow of foot — the tongue sprints where the legs won't follow. Literally: hasty mouth, tardy feet
Is “kíp miệng, chầy chân” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.