trâu tìm cột, cột chẳng tìm trâu
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
The buffalo seeks the post, never the post the buffalo — the dependent goes to the anchor: servant to master, child to parent.
Examples
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 “trâu tìm cột, cột chẳng tìm trâu” mean?
The buffalo seeks the post, never the post the buffalo — the dependent goes to the anchor: servant to master, child to parent. Literally: buffalo seeks the stake; the stake seeks no buffalo
Is “trâu tìm cột, cột chẳng tìm trâu” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.