mua ván bán thuyền
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Buy planks, sell the boat — trading up from the pieces to the whole.
Literally: buy boards, sell vessels
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 “mua ván bán thuyền” mean?
Buy planks, sell the boat — trading up from the pieces to the whole. Literally: buy boards, sell vessels
Is “mua ván bán thuyền” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.