Top 100 Vietnamese sayings

ăn cháo đá bát To be ungrateful — to turn against or abandon the very person who helped you. nước đến chân mới nhảy To put things off until the situation is urgent, and only act at the last possible moment. mất bò mới lo làm chuồng To take precautions only after the loss has already happened. có công mài sắt, có ngày nên kim Persistent effort will eventually succeed — keep grinding and the goal will be reached. gần mực thì đen, gần đèn thì sáng You take on the character of the company you keep — bad company corrupts, good company uplifts. treo đầu dê, bán thịt chó To advertise one thing but deliver another — deceptive marketing or bait-and-switch. thả con săn sắt, bắt con cá rô To give up something small in order to gain something bigger — a small bait for a large catch. đứng núi này trông núi nọ Never satisfied with what you have; always thinking somewhere or something else is better. một cây làm chẳng nên non, ba cây chụm lại nên hòn núi cao One person alone achieves little; people united can accomplish great things. qua cầu rút ván To discard the people who helped you once you no longer need them; to destroy the way back after getting what you wanted. đàn gảy tai trâu To waste fine words, art, or wisdom on someone incapable of appreciating them. cõng rắn cắn gà nhà To bring in an outsider or enemy who then harms your own people — inviting the wolf into the house. nói có sách, mách có chứng Claims must be backed by sources and accusations by evidence — speak with proof. được voi đòi tiên Given something great, to immediately demand something even greater — insatiable escalating demands. mèo mù vớ cá rán To get lucky far beyond one’s ability or effort — undeserved windfall. trăm nghe không bằng một thấy Hearing about something a hundred times is not worth seeing it once — direct experience beats hearsay. xa mặt cách lòng Absence weakens affection — when people no longer see each other, their hearts drift apart. có mới nới cũ To neglect or abandon the old (friend, partner, possession) as soon as something new arrives. cái khó ló cái khôn Close to the English saying: “Adversity is the mother of wisdom.”. cái nết đánh chết cái đẹp Close to the English saying: “Handsome is as handsome does.”. cha nào, con nấy Like father, like son. cháy nhà mới ra mặt chuột Only when something bad happens; the skeleton(s) in the closet will be revealed. chó sủa là chó không cắn Translation and English equivalent: Barking dogs seldom bite. có chí thì nên "If you are sufficiently determined to achieve something, then you will find a way of doing so.". có thực mới vực được đạo Having food (energy/money) is the prerequisite to achieve anything. của thiên, trả địa Close to the English saying: “Ill gotten, ill spent. (Mr. B Lam).”. cùng tắc biến, biến tắc thông When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. dĩ hoà vi quý Making peace is treasured. Đèn nhà ai nấy sáng Half the world not know how the other half lives. Đi một ngày đàng, học một sàng khôn Travelling forms a young man. Đi với bụt mặc áo cà sa, đi với ma mặc áo giấy Pay a man back in the same coin. gieo gió gặt bão We reap as we sow. lời nói là bạc, im lặng là vàng Speech is silver, silence is gold. Ở hiền gặp lành One good turn deserves another. một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước lã Close to the English saying: “Blood is thicker than water.”. nước chảy đá mòn Close to the English saying: “Constant dripping wears the stone.”. tham thì thâm Close to the English saying: “Grasp all, lose all.”. thất bại là mẹ thành công Close to the English saying: “Failure is the mother of success.”. uống nước nhớ nguồn uống hộ. nhập gia tuỳ tục when in Rome, do as the Romans do giả nhân giả nghĩa (adjective) hypocritical thuận vợ thuận chồng, tát Biển Đông cũng cạn a married couple that lives together in harmony can achieve larger goals năng nhặt chặt bị pick up stuff without fail and you'll get a full bag in no time mèo khen mèo dài đuôi cats who boast of their own long tails thương người như thể thương thân to love others as much as oneself nuôi ong tay áo to protect or raise someone who could later betray or turn against you; to nourish a viper in one's bosom lá lành đùm lá rách the strong protect the weak còn nước còn tát (as long as) there's water left, it can be drained out phép vua thua lệ làng even the monarch's law loses to a village's norms một nụ cười bằng mười thang thuốc bổ Laughter is the best medicine. phòng bệnh hơn chữa bệnh it's better to prevent diseases than to wait for them to happen and then treat them vắt chanh bỏ vỏ (verb) to squeeze the lime and dispose the skin không thầy đố mày làm nên without a teacher, I dare you to do or make anything of note ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây (verb) to eat fruit and remember who planted the tree tiên học lễ, hậu học văn learn manners first, then learn literature lửa thử vàng, gian nan thử sức fire tests gold, hardship tests strength con có cha như nhà có nóc "children need their fathers to be complete" vung tay quá trán to overdo something, especially to overspend or to squander con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh the apple does not fall far from the tree khẩu Phật tâm xà (adjective) hypocritical, wolf in sheep's clothing, speaking virtuously but hiding selfish intentions liệu cơm gắp mắm to be mindful of one's surroundings and circumstances to choose the right options ác giả ác báo what goes around comes around; you reap what you sow; as you sow, so shall you reap. đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm One must remain decent and honorable in spite of hardship. suy bụng ta ra bụng người to project (to assume qualities or mindsets in others based on one's own) đầu voi đuôi chuột (adjective) started with a lot of fanfare but petering out to nothing khéo ăn thì no, khéo co thì ấm If one knows how to manage resources skillfully, one can achieve sufficiency even when means are limited. luật vua thua lệ làng In practice, local custom outweighs distant formal authority — the village’s rules beat the king’s law. Ăn cỗ đi trước, lội nước theo sau Those who come first get the best bóc ngắn cắn dài To retort or talk back in a more severe manner cây ngay không sợ chết đứng An honest person has nothing to fear chớ thấy sóng cả mà ngã tay chèo Don't be intimidated by challenges chó cắn áo rách Small conflicts can lead to bigger problems con hơn cha là nhà có phúc A child surpassing their parent is a sign of a fortunate family Đi hỏi già, về nhà hỏi trẻ Seek advice from experienced people and consider younger perspectives Đất có Thổ Công, sông có Hà Bá Every place has its own master or ruler học thầy không tày học bạn Learning from friends is more valuable than learning from teachers tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn Inner quality is more important than appearance môi hở răng lạnh When one person is unhappy, others around them are affected kiến tha lâu cũng đầy tổ Small amounts can accumulate to make a significant whole miệng nam mô, bụng bồ dao găm Say one thing but think another nước đổ đầu vịt Something is completely useless or ineffective tích tiểu thành đại Accumulating small things leads to significant results Công cha như núi Thái Sơn One's father's merit is boundless and immeasurable