ma bắt coi mặt người ta
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Even ghosts check the face before they seize — bullies read their victim first.
Literally: the ghost reads the face before catching
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 “ma bắt coi mặt người ta” mean?
Even ghosts check the face before they seize — bullies read their victim first. Literally: the ghost reads the face before catching
Is “ma bắt coi mặt người ta” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.