Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

tào khan chi thê bât khả hạ đường, bần tiện chi giao mạc khả vong

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

Meaning · English

The wife of your husk-and-bran days is never sent below stairs; the friends of your poverty are never forgotten — loyalty's two unbreakable clauses.

Literally: the chaff-rice wife not demoted; the poor-days friendship not forgotten

Examples

Giàu rồi vẫn quý vợ tấm mẳn, tào khang chi thê bất khả hạ đường.Rich now, he still honors his bran-and-husks wife — the poverty bond is unbreakable.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

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 “tào khan chi thê bât khả hạ đường, bần tiện chi giao mạc khả vong” mean?

The wife of your husk-and-bran days is never sent below stairs; the friends of your poverty are never forgotten — loyalty's two unbreakable clauses. Literally: the chaff-rice wife not demoted; the poor-days friendship not forgotten

Is “tào khan chi thê bât khả hạ đường, bần tiện chi giao mạc khả vong” formal or informal?

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