phúc bất trùng lai, họa vô đơn chí
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: phước bất trùng lai, họa vô đơn chí
Meaning · English
Blessings do not come in pair, disasters do not come singly; opportunity seldom knocks twice, misfortunes never come singly
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Shi Nai'an, Water Margin, Ch. 36; Vietnamese translation by Trần Tuấn KhảiSong Jiang, upon hearing that, clutched the two guards tightly and moaned: "Good Heavens, woe is me! Indeed, blessings never come in pair; disasters never come singly!"
2011, Hoàng Đình Trung MD, "Báo SK&ĐS - Ân nhân của tôi (Health and Life Newspaper - My Benefactor)" Health and Life NewspaperWe urgently determined to save the life of the woman in childbirth yet with every moment the situation became more and more critical. Indeed, “blessings never come in pair; disasters never come singly”.
Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗
Common questions
What does “phúc bất trùng lai, họa vô đơn chí” mean?
Blessings do not come in pair, disasters do not come singly; opportunity seldom knocks twice, misfortunes never come singly
Is “phúc bất trùng lai, họa vô đơn chí” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.