trung ngôn nghịch nhỉ
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Honest words offend the ear — counsel's truest note is the one that grates.
Literally: loyal words oppose the ear
Examples
Trung ngôn nghịch nhỉ, nghe xong đừng giận.Honest words grate — hear them out before you bristle.
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 “trung ngôn nghịch nhỉ” mean?
Honest words offend the ear — counsel's truest note is the one that grates. Literally: loyal words oppose the ear
Is “trung ngôn nghịch nhỉ” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.