thanh xuất vu lam
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Blue comes out of indigo — the student is dyed by the master, and may come out the deeper shade.
Literally: blue emerges from indigo
Examples
Trò giỏi hơn thầy, thanh xuất vu lam.The student outshone the master — blue out of indigo.
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 “thanh xuất vu lam” mean?
Blue comes out of indigo — the student is dyed by the master, and may come out the deeper shade. Literally: blue emerges from indigo
Is “thanh xuất vu lam” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.