Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

mười voi không được bát sáo

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

Meaning · English

Ten elephants promised, not one bowl of broth delivered — grandiosity's actual yield.

Literally: ten elephants don't make a bowl of xáo soup

Examples

Hứa mười voi không được bát nước xáo.Ten promised elephants, and not one bowl of soup.

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 “mười voi không được bát sáo” mean?

Ten elephants promised, not one bowl of broth delivered — grandiosity's actual yield. Literally: ten elephants don't make a bowl of xáo soup

Is “mười voi không được bát sáo” formal or informal?

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

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