trăm hay chẳng bằng tay quen
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A hundred clevernesses are less than one practiced hand — theory loses to calluses.
Literally: hundred skills don't equal the accustomed hand
Examples
Trăm hay chẳng bằng tay quen, cứ để thợ cũ làm.A hundred theories lose to one practiced hand — let the old hand do it.
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 “trăm hay chẳng bằng tay quen” mean?
A hundred clevernesses are less than one practiced hand — theory loses to calluses. Literally: hundred skills don't equal the accustomed hand
Is “trăm hay chẳng bằng tay quen” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.