Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

thẳng mục tàu đau lòng gỗ

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

Meaning · English

The straight ink-line pains the timber — honest measure always hurts what's crooked.

Literally: the straight chalk-line aches the wood's heart

Examples

Nói thẳng thì mất lòng, thẳng mực tàu đau lòng gỗ.Straight talk stings — the true ink-line pains the plank.

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 “thẳng mục tàu đau lòng gỗ” mean?

The straight ink-line pains the timber — honest measure always hurts what's crooked. Literally: the straight chalk-line aches the wood's heart

Is “thẳng mục tàu đau lòng gỗ” formal or informal?

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

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