Rồng nằm bể cạn phơi râu
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A powerful person in a weak position
Literally: Dragon lying in shallow water exposing its whiskers
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Sau khi mất chức, anh ấy giống như rồng nằm bể cạn phơi râu.After losing his position, he was like a dragon lying in shallow water exposing its whiskers.
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 “Rồng nằm bể cạn phơi râu” mean?
A powerful person in a weak position Literally: Dragon lying in shallow water exposing its whiskers
Is “Rồng nằm bể cạn phơi râu” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.