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Vietnamese Proverbs

Ac gia, ac bao As the call, so the echo

Ai lam nay chiu Who breaks, pays

An chac mac ben Comfort is better than pride

An co nhai, noi co nghi Think today and speak tomorrow

An may doi xoi gac Beggars can't be choosers

An mieng tra mieng Tit for tat

An den oan tra An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

Ba nghe ba tri, vi chi ba lap Jack of all trades is master of none

Ban be hieu nhau khi hoan nan A friend in need is a friend indeed

Banh it di, banh qui lai One good turn deserves another

Bat ca hai tay Between two stools, you fall to the ground

Ban cung sinh dao tac Necessity knows no laws

Bat di nhan phe ngon A fool may sometimes give a wise man counsel

Bung doi tai diec Hungry bellies have no ears

But chua nha khong thieng No man is a hero to his valet

Ca vang bung bo A fair face may hide a foul heart

Cai net danh chet cai dep Beauty is but skin-deep

Cau nhin chin cau lanh Better a lean peace than a fat victory

Cay ngay khong so chet dung A clean hand wants no washing

Cha chung khong ai khoc Everybody's business is nobody's business

Cha me sinh con, troi sinh tinh Many a good father has but a bad son

Chin nguoi, muoi y So many men, so many minds

Cho cay gan nha, ga cay gan chuong Every dog is a lion at home

Cho cui ve rung To carry coals to Newcastle

Choi cho, cho liem mat Familiarity breeds contempt

Chua do ong nghe da de hang tong Catch the bear before you sell his skin

Chua khoi vong da cong duoi Do not halloo till you are out of the wood

Chung nao tat nay The leopard cannot change its spots

Co chi lam quan, co gan lam giau Fortune favours the brave

Co cong mai sat co ngay nen kim A mouse in time may bite in two a cable

Cai kho lo cai khon Adversity brings wisdom

Co kho moi co mieng an No sweet without sweat

Co qua co lai moi toai long nhau Scratch my back; I'll scratch yours

Co thuc moi vuc duoc dao Fine words butter no parsnips

Co tien mua tien cung duoc Money makes the mare go

Con ga tot ma ve long, rang den ve thuoc, ruou nong ve men Fine feathers make fine birds

Con sau lam rau noi canh One scabby sheep is enough to spoil the whole flock

Cuoi nguoi hom truoc hom sau nguoi cuoi He laughs best who laughs last

Di doc tri doc Like cures like

Di hoa vi qui A bad compromise is better than a good lawsuit

Duc toc bat dat Haste makes waste

Dau xuoi duoi lot A good beginning is half the battle

Dep de pho ra, xau xa day lai It's best to wash one's soiled linen at home

Di voi but mac ao ca sa, di voi ma mac ao giay Who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl

Doi dau goi phai bo Hunger brings the wolf to the fold

Doi an muoi cung ngon Hunger finds no fault with cookery

Dong tay vo nen keu Many hands make light work

Dong thanh tuong ung, dong khi tuong cau Likes draws to like

Duc nuoc beo co To fish in troubled waters

Duoc dang chan, lan dang dau Give him an inch and he will take a yard

Duong di hay toi, noi doi hay cung Lies have short legs

Duong di o mieng He that has a tongue in his head may find his way anywhere

Dung boi rac len ma ngui Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you

Dung dua voi lua Fire is a good servant but a bad master


The quotes originally on this page had some proverbs with other origins mixed in. (A bad compromise is better than a good lawsuit?) The Vietnamses are just translations I located, it does not mean that they are Vietnamese proverbs.

Last updated: 10-26-2005 03:52:15