thả cá nhỏ, bắt cá lớn
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
release a small fish to catch a big fish
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗
Sense 2
Meaning · English
a small sacrifice yields a bigger reward; no pain, no gain
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “thả cá nhỏ, bắt cá lớn” mean?
release a small fish to catch a big fish
Is “thả cá nhỏ, bắt cá lớn” 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?
“no pain, no gain” (English) — near equivalent.