tùng thiện như đăng, tùng ác như băng

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Following good is a climb, following evil a landslide — virtue is uphill work; vice travels by gravity.

Literally: toward good like ascending; toward evil like collapsing

Examples

Tùng thiện như đăng tùng ác như băng, ráng mà giữ mình.Good is a climb, evil a landslide — hold your footing.

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 “tùng thiện như đăng, tùng ác như băng” mean?

Following good is a climb, following evil a landslide — virtue is uphill work; vice travels by gravity. Literally: toward good like ascending; toward evil like collapsing

Is “tùng thiện như đăng, tùng ác như băng” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.