Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

viễn thủy nan cứu cận hỏa

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

Meaning · English

Distant water can't douse the near fire — the far kin, the far help, always a bucket too late.

Literally: far water hard-pressed to save near fire

Examples

Viễn thủy nan cứu cận hỏa, nhờ hàng xóm trước đã.Far water won't reach this fire — call the neighbors first.

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 “viễn thủy nan cứu cận hỏa” mean?

Distant water can't douse the near fire — the far kin, the far help, always a bucket too late. Literally: far water hard-pressed to save near fire

Is “viễn thủy nan cứu cận hỏa” formal or informal?

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

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