Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

tiểu nhơn đắc chí

🎙 Say it

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

Meaning · English

The small man got his wish — petty ambition is soonest satisfied, and insufferable after.

Literally: the petty man attains his wish

Examples

Mới lên chức đã lên mặt, tiểu nhơn đắc chí.One promotion and he's insufferable — the small man got his wish.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “tiểu nhơn đắc chí” mean?

The small man got his wish — petty ambition is soonest satisfied, and insufferable after. Literally: the petty man attains his wish

Is “tiểu nhơn đắc chí” formal or informal?

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

👁 Views 0 today 0 past 7 days 0 this month 0 all time