tội gà vạ vịt
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The hen's offense, the duck's fine — punished for a fowl you never touched; blame that lands on the bystander.
Literally: chicken's crime, duck's penalty
Sources & notes
Discovered via Vietnamese Wiktionary, Thể loại:Thành ngữ tiếng Việt (CC BY-SA 4.0); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “tội gà vạ vịt” mean?
The hen's offense, the duck's fine — punished for a fowl you never touched; blame that lands on the bystander. Literally: chicken's crime, duck's penalty
Is “tội gà vạ vịt” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.