Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

nhất quỉ nhì ma

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

Also seen as: nhất quỉ nhì ma thứ ba học-trò

Meaning · English

First devils, second ghosts, third schoolboys — the ranking that crowns students the worst of the three.

Literally: first demons, second ghosts, third the students

Examples

Nhất quỉ nhì ma, thứ ba học trò.First devils, second ghosts, third schoolkids.

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 “nhất quỉ nhì ma” mean?

First devils, second ghosts, third schoolboys — the ranking that crowns students the worst of the three. Literally: first demons, second ghosts, third the students

Is “nhất quỉ nhì ma” formal or informal?

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