rắn già rắn lột, ta già ta cột đầu săng
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Also seen as: rắn già rắn lột, người già người chột
Old snakes shed their skins; old men get bound in coffin-boards — renewal is the serpent's privilege, not ours.
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 “rắn già rắn lột, ta già ta cột đầu săng” mean?
Old snakes shed their skins; old men get bound in coffin-boards — renewal is the serpent's privilege, not ours. Literally: snake old: sheds skin; we old: lashed to the bier
Is “rắn già rắn lột, ta già ta cột đầu săng” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.