English · Proverb Candidate

might makes right

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Those with more power or strength will dominate or prevail

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Những người có nhiều quyền lực hoặc sức mạnh sẽ chiếm ưu thế

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: physical power determines moral authority

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Sources & notes

Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); 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.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent thắng làm vua, thua làm giặc might makes right; the winner is always in the right and the loser is always in the wrong. Tiếng Việt Near equivalent được làm vua, thua làm giặc might makes right; the winner is always in the right and the loser is always in the wrong. Tiếng Việt

Common questions

What does “might makes right” mean?

Those with more power or strength will dominate or prevail Literally: physical power determines moral authority

Is “might makes right” formal or informal?

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

What is the closest equivalent?

“thắng làm vua, thua làm giặc” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.