Thứ nhất tâm trai, thứ hai cỗi thọ, thứ ba chả có mới dùng điển lâm
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Describes using something only when there's no better option
Mô tả việc sử dụng thứ gì đó chỉ khi không có lựa chọn tốt hơn
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
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 tâm trai, thứ hai cỗi thọ, thứ ba chả có mới dùng điển lâm” mean?
Describes using something only when there's no better option Literally: First, pig heart, second, dried persimmon, third, having no choice use Dictionary of the Forest
Is “Thứ nhất tâm trai, thứ hai cỗi thọ, thứ ba chả có mới dùng điển lâm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.