miệng bồ tát, bụng bồ dao găm

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Having a kind face but a cruel heart

Literally: Bodhisattva mouth, belly full of knife
Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Examples

Anh ta miệng bồ tát, bụng bồ dao găm, luôn lừa dối mọi ngườiHe has a kind face but a cruel heart, always deceiving people

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

Sources & notes

Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Thành ngữ 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 “miệng bồ tát, bụng bồ dao găm” mean?

Having a kind face but a cruel heart Literally: Bodhisattva mouth, belly full of knife

Is “miệng bồ tát, bụng bồ dao găm” formal or informal?

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