sáng tai họ, điếc tai làm
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: sáng tai họ, điếc tai cầy
Meaning · English
To please others but ignore one's own needs
Literally: clear to their ears, deaf to our ears
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
Anh ấy luôn sáng tai họ, điếc tai làm, nên không ai muốn làm việc với anh ấyHe always pleases others but ignores his own needs, so nobody wants to work with him
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Thành ngữ 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 “sáng tai họ, điếc tai làm” mean?
To please others but ignore one's own needs Literally: clear to their ears, deaf to our ears
Is “sáng tai họ, điếc tai làm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.