nguồn đục thì dòng không trong, gốc cong thì cây không thẳng
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A corrupted source leads to tainted outcomes
Literally: Turbid source, unclean flow, crooked root, unstraight tree
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Gia đình không hòa thuận thì con cái khó mà ngoan ngoãnIf the family is not harmonious, the children are hard to be obedient
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Thành ngữ Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “nguồn đục thì dòng không trong, gốc cong thì cây không thẳng” mean?
A corrupted source leads to tainted outcomes Literally: Turbid source, unclean flow, crooked root, unstraight tree
Is “nguồn đục thì dòng không trong, gốc cong thì cây không thẳng” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.