Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

thua giời một vạn, còn hơn thua bạn một ly

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

Meaning · English

Lose ten thousand to heaven before one hair to a friend — defeat by fate is bearable; by a peer, never.

Literally: lose a myriad to heaven rather than a hair to a friend

Examples

Thua trời một vạn không bằng thua bạn một ly.Ten thousand to heaven, sooner than a hair to a friend.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “thua giời một vạn, còn hơn thua bạn một ly” mean?

Lose ten thousand to heaven before one hair to a friend — defeat by fate is bearable; by a peer, never. Literally: lose a myriad to heaven rather than a hair to a friend

Is “thua giời một vạn, còn hơn thua bạn một ly” formal or informal?

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