trước lạ sau quen
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Strangers first, friends after — awkward at the first meeting, easy by the third.
Literally: strange before, familiar after
Examples
Cứ đến chơi, trước lạ sau quen mà.Do come by — strangers at first, friends soon enough.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Vietnamese Wiktionary, Thể loại:Thành ngữ tiếng Việt (CC BY-SA 4.0); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “trước lạ sau quen” mean?
Strangers first, friends after — awkward at the first meeting, easy by the third. Literally: strange before, familiar after
Is “trước lạ sau quen” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.