ngồi thúng khôn bề cất thúng
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Sitting in the basket, how to lift the basket — the insider's dilemma; you can't carry what you're part of.
Literally: seated in the basket, no way to raise it
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 “ngồi thúng khôn bề cất thúng” mean?
Sitting in the basket, how to lift the basket — the insider's dilemma; you can't carry what you're part of. Literally: seated in the basket, no way to raise it
Is “ngồi thúng khôn bề cất thúng” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.