Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

xé tay vá vạt

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

Meaning · English

Tearing the sleeve to patch the hem — poverty's tailoring, robbing one edge for the other.

Literally: tear the sleeve, patch the flap

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 “xé tay vá vạt” mean?

Tearing the sleeve to patch the hem — poverty's tailoring, robbing one edge for the other. Literally: tear the sleeve, patch the flap

Is “xé tay vá vạt” formal or informal?

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

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