Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

tai vách, mạch rừng

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Also seen as: tai vách mạch rừng

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

"What you say may be overheard; used as a warning.".

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Cảnh báo rằng những gì bạn nói có thể bị nghe lén

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Sources & notes

Imported from Wikiquote: Vietnamese proverbs (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29), pending review. Sources cited there: The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs (2007); Tư ̀điên̕ thành ngư ̃Việt Nam (1993).

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent walls have ears Be careful what you say, as others may be listening. English Near equivalent tai vách mạch dừng walls have ears Tiếng Việt · via walls have ears

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Common questions

What does “tai vách, mạch rừng” mean?

"What you say may be overheard; used as a warning.".

Is “tai vách, mạch rừng” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“walls have ears” (English) — near equivalent.