xấu hay làm tốt, dốt hay nói chữ

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

Meaning · English

The plain love adornment, the ignorant love book-talk — each lack shops loudest for its own cover.

Literally: the plain adorn; the unlettered quote

Examples

Xấu hay làm tốt, dốt hay nói chữ.The plain primp and the unread quote — each covers its own lack.

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 “xấu hay làm tốt, dốt hay nói chữ” mean?

The plain love adornment, the ignorant love book-talk — each lack shops loudest for its own cover. Literally: the plain adorn; the unlettered quote

Is “xấu hay làm tốt, dốt hay nói chữ” formal or informal?

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