nhà nghèo biết con thảo, nước loạn biết tôi ngay

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

Meaning · English

A poor house reveals the devoted child; a realm in chaos, the loyal servant — allegiance is only legible in adversity.

Literally: poor family knows the filial child; chaotic nation knows the loyal minister

Examples

Lúc công ty khó mới rõ ai gắn bó, nhà nghèo biết con thảo.Only when the firm struggled did loyalty show — hardship reveals the devoted.

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 “nhà nghèo biết con thảo, nước loạn biết tôi ngay” mean?

A poor house reveals the devoted child; a realm in chaos, the loyal servant — allegiance is only legible in adversity. Literally: poor family knows the filial child; chaotic nation knows the loyal minister

Is “nhà nghèo biết con thảo, nước loạn biết tôi ngay” formal or informal?

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