một đời kiện, chín đời thù
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
One generation's lawsuit, nine generations' feud — litigation's long half-life.
Literally: one life of suing, nine lives of enmity
Examples
Một đời kiện, chín đời thù.Sue for one lifetime, feud for nine.
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 “một đời kiện, chín đời thù” mean?
One generation's lawsuit, nine generations' feud — litigation's long half-life. Literally: one life of suing, nine lives of enmity
Is “một đời kiện, chín đời thù” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.