tội lây vạ tràn
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Guilt spreads, penalty floods — the old collective punishments, drowning the innocent adjacent.
Literally: crime spreads, penalty overflows
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 “tội lây vạ tràn” mean?
Guilt spreads, penalty floods — the old collective punishments, drowning the innocent adjacent. Literally: crime spreads, penalty overflows
Is “tội lây vạ tràn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.