Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

Thứ nhất cao nêu, thứ nhì kêu pháo

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Something is outstanding, then comes a close second

Literally: First high tower, second firecracker

Examples

Anh ấy giỏi nhất lớp, nhưng chú ấy thứ nhất cao nêu, thứ nhì kêu pháo về môn ToánHe is the best in the class, but his uncle is outstanding, then comes a close second in math

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-08; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “Thứ nhất cao nêu, thứ nhì kêu pháo” mean?

Something is outstanding, then comes a close second Literally: First high tower, second firecracker

Is “Thứ nhất cao nêu, thứ nhì kêu pháo” formal or informal?

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

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