Lên non mới biết non cao
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
You only appreciate something's value when you lose it
Literally: to go to the mountain and then know the mountain is high
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Anh ấy mới hiểu được giá trị của gia đình sau khi rời xaHe only understood the value of family after leaving home
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Ca dao Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Lên non mới biết non cao” mean?
You only appreciate something's value when you lose it Literally: to go to the mountain and then know the mountain is high
Is “Lên non mới biết non cao” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.