nhu nhược thắng can cường

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

Also seen as: thiệc nhu thường tồn, xỉ can tắc chiết

Meaning · English

The soft outlasts the hard — tongues survive the teeth; yielding is the durable strength.

Literally: soft and weak defeat hard and strong

Examples

Lưỡi mềm còn, răng cứng gãy, nhu nhược thắng can cường.The soft tongue outlives the hard teeth — yielding beats rigid.

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 “nhu nhược thắng can cường” mean?

The soft outlasts the hard — tongues survive the teeth; yielding is the durable strength. Literally: soft and weak defeat hard and strong

Is “nhu nhược thắng can cường” formal or informal?

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