ỷ thế ỷ thần
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Leaning on power, leaning on spirits — patronage temporal or supernatural, so long as it's someone else's strength.
Literally: rely on influence, rely on gods
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 “ỷ thế ỷ thần” mean?
Leaning on power, leaning on spirits — patronage temporal or supernatural, so long as it's someone else's strength. Literally: rely on influence, rely on gods
Is “ỷ thế ỷ thần” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.