tay làm hàm nhai
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Close to the English saying: “He that does not work shall not eat.”.
Literally: The hand works, the mouth (is allowed to) chew.
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: European Proverbs in 55 languages (1997); Tuttle Compact Vietnamese Dictionary: Vietnamese-English English-Vietnamese (2008).
Common questions
What does “tay làm hàm nhai” mean?
Close to the English saying: “He that does not work shall not eat.”. Literally: The hand works, the mouth (is allowed to) chew.
Is “tay làm hàm nhai” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.