Lưỡi mềm thì còn, răng cứng thì gẫy

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Politeness and gentleness can help you survive longer than being harsh and stubborn.

Literally: Soft tongue endures, hard teeth break

Examples

Anh ta luôn nói chuyện khôn khéo, lưỡi mềm thì còn, răng cứng thì gẫy mà.He always speaks tactfully, as politeness and gentleness can help you survive longer than being harsh and stubborn.

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-06; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “Lưỡi mềm thì còn, răng cứng thì gẫy” mean?

Politeness and gentleness can help you survive longer than being harsh and stubborn. Literally: Soft tongue endures, hard teeth break

Is “Lưỡi mềm thì còn, răng cứng thì gẫy” formal or informal?

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

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