Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

lỗi thầy mực sách, cứ mạch mà cưa

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

Meaning · English

Blame the master's crooked ink-line, but saw along the grain — bad instruction is no license for bad work.

Literally: teacher's fault in ink and book; follow the grain and saw

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 “lỗi thầy mực sách, cứ mạch mà cưa” mean?

Blame the master's crooked ink-line, but saw along the grain — bad instruction is no license for bad work. Literally: teacher's fault in ink and book; follow the grain and saw

Is “lỗi thầy mực sách, cứ mạch mà cưa” formal or informal?

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

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