sống một đồng không hết, chết mười đồng không đủ
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Alive, one coin lasts; dead, ten aren't enough — the funeral spends what the life saved.
Literally: living: one coin unspent; dead: ten insufficient
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 “sống một đồng không hết, chết mười đồng không đủ” mean?
Alive, one coin lasts; dead, ten aren't enough — the funeral spends what the life saved. Literally: living: one coin unspent; dead: ten insufficient
Is “sống một đồng không hết, chết mười đồng không đủ” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.