mèo lành chẳng ở mả, ả lành chẳng ở hàng cơm
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: mèo lành không ở mả, gái lành không ở hàng cơm
Meaning · English
A good cat doesn't haunt graves; a good girl doesn't haunt food-stalls — respectability keeps clear of low resorts.
Literally: sound cat shuns the tomb, sound lass shuns the rice-shop
Sources & notes
Discovered via Vietnamese Wiktionary, Thể loại:Thành ngữ tiếng Việt (CC BY-SA 4.0); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “mèo lành chẳng ở mả, ả lành chẳng ở hàng cơm” mean?
A good cat doesn't haunt graves; a good girl doesn't haunt food-stalls — respectability keeps clear of low resorts. Literally: sound cat shuns the tomb, sound lass shuns the rice-shop
Is “mèo lành chẳng ở mả, ả lành chẳng ở hàng cơm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.