một chân bước đi, mười chân bước lại
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
One foot stepping out, ten stepping back — a farewell the legs keep refusing.
Literally: one leg departs, ten legs return
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 “một chân bước đi, mười chân bước lại” mean?
One foot stepping out, ten stepping back — a farewell the legs keep refusing. Literally: one leg departs, ten legs return
Is “một chân bước đi, mười chân bước lại” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.