ngọc bất trác bất thành khí, nhơn bất học bất tri lý
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Uncut jade is no vessel; untaught people know no principle — polish makes the gem and the person.
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 “ngọc bất trác bất thành khí, nhơn bất học bất tri lý” mean?
Uncut jade is no vessel; untaught people know no principle — polish makes the gem and the person. Literally: jade uncarved, no vessel; person unschooled, no reason
Is “ngọc bất trác bất thành khí, nhơn bất học bất tri lý” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.