nhứt ngôn khả dĩ hưng ban, nhứt ngôn khả dĩ tán ban
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
One sentence can raise a state, one sentence can ruin it — weigh speech like statecraft.
Literally: one word may raise the nation, one word may scatter 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 “nhứt ngôn khả dĩ hưng ban, nhứt ngôn khả dĩ tán ban” mean?
One sentence can raise a state, one sentence can ruin it — weigh speech like statecraft. Literally: one word may raise the nation, one word may scatter it
Is “nhứt ngôn khả dĩ hưng ban, nhứt ngôn khả dĩ tán ban” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.