tham vì nết, chẳng hết chi người
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Covet the character, not the looks — nothing else in a person outlasts their conduct.
Literally: greedy for the virtue; the person never runs out
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 “tham vì nết, chẳng hết chi người” mean?
Covet the character, not the looks — nothing else in a person outlasts their conduct. Literally: greedy for the virtue; the person never runs out
Is “tham vì nết, chẳng hết chi người” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.