Trống bưng da bò không đánh hai mặt, cá ở dưới nước không bắt hai tay
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
One cannot serve two masters or have two conflicting interests
Examples
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Headword listed in the vdict.com proverb dictionary index (discovery source; headword only — no source content copied). Entered as candidate 2026-08-05; definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-08; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Trống bưng da bò không đánh hai mặt, cá ở dưới nước không bắt hai tay” mean?
One cannot serve two masters or have two conflicting interests Literally: A drum covered with cowhide cannot be beaten on both sides, a fish in water cannot be caught with two hands
Is “Trống bưng da bò không đánh hai mặt, cá ở dưới nước không bắt hai tay” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.