Ra sông mới biết cạn sâu
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Only experience can reveal the true nature of something
Literally: Out to the river to know shallow deep
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Tôi không nghĩ công việc này khó đến thế, ra sông mới biết cạn sâu!I didn't think this job was that hard, but now I know!
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Ca dao Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Ra sông mới biết cạn sâu” mean?
Only experience can reveal the true nature of something Literally: Out to the river to know shallow deep
Is “Ra sông mới biết cạn sâu” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.