mũi dại lái chịu đòn
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
The prow blunders, the helm takes the beating — the subordinate's error lands on the captain's back.
Examples
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
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 “mũi dại lái chịu đòn” mean?
The prow blunders, the helm takes the beating — the subordinate's error lands on the captain's back. Literally: foolish bow, the helm takes blows
Is “mũi dại lái chịu đòn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.