Thua trời một vạn, chẳng bằng thua bạn một li
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
It's better to lose a small amount to a friend than a large amount to a stranger or in a situation beyond one's control.
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 “Thua trời một vạn, chẳng bằng thua bạn một li” mean?
It's better to lose a small amount to a friend than a large amount to a stranger or in a situation beyond one's control. Literally: Lose to heaven one ten thousand, not as good as lose to friend one li
Is “Thua trời một vạn, chẳng bằng thua bạn một li” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.