Thứ nhất là hổ mang hoa, thứ nhì hổ lửa thứ ba mai gầm
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Someone or something is considered the best, second-best, and third-best in a particular field or situation
Examples
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 là hổ mang hoa, thứ nhì hổ lửa thứ ba mai gầm” mean?
Someone or something is considered the best, second-best, and third-best in a particular field or situation Literally: First is the cobra with flowers, second is the fire tiger, third is the plum blossom
Is “Thứ nhất là hổ mang hoa, thứ nhì hổ lửa thứ ba mai gầm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.