thần cây đa, ma cây gạo
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The banyan keeps a god, the kapok keeps a ghost — each great tree its own resident spirit.
Literally: deity of the banyan, ghost of the kapok
Examples
Thần cây đa, ma cây gạo, cú cáo cây đề.Gods in the banyan, ghosts in the kapok, owls and foxes in the bo tree.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “thần cây đa, ma cây gạo” mean?
The banyan keeps a god, the kapok keeps a ghost — each great tree its own resident spirit. Literally: deity of the banyan, ghost of the kapok
Is “thần cây đa, ma cây gạo” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.