Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

quí tinh bất quí đa

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

Meaning · English

Prize the refined, not the numerous — an army, or anything, measured in quality over count.

Literally: value the select, not the many

Examples

Tuyển ít mà giỏi, quí tinh bất quí đa.Hire few but excellent — prize the refined, not the count.

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 “quí tinh bất quí đa” mean?

Prize the refined, not the numerous — an army, or anything, measured in quality over count. Literally: value the select, not the many

Is “quí tinh bất quí đa” formal or informal?

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

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