Tiếng Việt · Idiom Attested

mò cua bắt ốc

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In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Groping for crabs, catching snails — the mudflat's subsistence; humble foraging for the day's meal.

Literally: grope crabs, catch snails

Examples

Mẹ mò cua bắt ốc nuôi con.Groping crabs and snails, she fed her children.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “mò cua bắt ốc” mean?

Groping for crabs, catching snails — the mudflat's subsistence; humble foraging for the day's meal. Literally: grope crabs, catch snails

Is “mò cua bắt ốc” formal or informal?

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

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