voi thuộc voi, ngựa thuộc ngựa
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Elephants know elephants, horses know horses — kind recognizes kind, thieves most fluently of all.
Literally: elephants know elephants; horses, horses
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 “voi thuộc voi, ngựa thuộc ngựa” mean?
Elephants know elephants, horses know horses — kind recognizes kind, thieves most fluently of all. Literally: elephants know elephants; horses, horses
Is “voi thuộc voi, ngựa thuộc ngựa” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.