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- R -
Ra ngõ hỏi già, về nhà hỏi trẻ
(Ask an old man when you are out and ask a child when you come back home)
Old men and children often speak truth
Cp: Truth comes out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
Rau nào, sâu ấy
(Like vegetables, like worms)
As: Cha nào, con ấy
Rắm ai vừa mũi người ấy (tục)
(His fart’s smell suits his nose) (vulg)
As: Cứt ai vừa mũi người ấy
Rắn con lăm nuốt cá voi
(A little snake wants to gobble a whale )
It’s ridiculous for a weak man (or country) to have the idea of submitting a strong one
Rắn để nọc cho lươn
(The snake leaves its venom to the eel )
An evil-doer often shifts an ill-fame on others
Cp: Give a dog a bad name and hang him
Rắn đến nhà, không đánh thành quái
(The coming snake that is not beaten will become a monster)
The evil - doer who is not punished but covered up
will be much worse
Rắn già rắn lột, người già người tụt vào săng (đùa)
(An old snake sloughs its skin while an old man crawls into a coffin) (joc) )
One must die when getting old
Răng đen vì thuốc, rượu nồng vì men
(Thanks to dyestuff the tooth can be black and thanks to brewer’s yeast, the alcohol can be distilled)
To reach his aim, one must have got enough conditions
Rậm người hơn rậm cỏ
(Better more men than grass)
The more people, the better
Rậm người hơn rậm của
(Better more men than wealth )
Man is more valuable than wealth
Râu ông nọ cắm cằm bà kia
(A man’s beard is stuck on a lady’s chin)
l A thing put in the wrong place will cause a queer situation
l A thing may be put in the wrong place
Riêng rẽ khỏe ăn
(He who works alone eats all)
One can take all profits from the work he has done by himself
Rô anh còn tiếc, nữa giếc tôi ư
(You even regret your anabas much less my crucian)
One is blamable to want to take, not to give
Rộng làm kép, hẹp làm đơn
(If it’s large, it’ll be used to make a double one; if it’s
narrow, it’ll be used to make a single one)
One should make things according to his ability and condition
Rộng miệng, cả tiếng
(A big mouth gives out a loud voice)
A big man often talks big
Rủ nhau làm phúc, chớ giục nhau đi kiện
(You should call for one another to give alms, not urge one another to bring law-suits against others )
As: Muốn giàu nuôi tằm, muốn nằm đi kiện
Ruộng ai thì nấy đắp bờ
(He who has got a plot of field has to embank it by himself)
l One should do his work by himself
l Selfish people don’t want to help others
Ruộng bề bề không bằng nghề trong tay
(A lot of field is not as good as an occupation )
As: Của rề rề không bằng nghề trong tay
Ruộng sâu trâu nái không bằng con gái đầu lòng
(Low field and she buffaloes are not so good as a first-born daughter)
First-born daughters help their parents a great deal
Rút dây, động dừng
(As: Dứt dây, động dừng)
Rượu không say, say vì chén
(The cup, not the wine, makes a drinker drunk )
The form may bring about more affection than the content
Rượu ngon chẳng nệ (quản) be sành
(A good wine is not afraid of earthen jars)
As: Ngọc tốt không nệ bán rao
Rượu vào, lời ra
(When the wine is in, the words will be out )
l When drunk, one often talks much
l When drunk, one may reveal his secret
Cp: Drunkenness reveals what soberness conceals
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- S -
Sa chân đỡ lại, sa miệng đỡ không lại
(A fool’s slip can be held back but a tongue’s slip can’t be)
As: Nhất ngôn kí xuất, tứ mã nan truy
Sa cơ phải lụy cơ
(He who meets with misfortunes has to submit to them )
As: Qua sông phải lụy đò
Sai con toán, bán con trâu
(He who makes a wrong calculation will have to sell off a buffalo)
One may pay with a great cost for a small fault
Cp: For want of a nail, the shoe was lost
Sai một li đi một dặm
(If you are mistaken with an inch, you’ll be misled a mile )
As: Sai con toán, bán con trâu
Sang Lào phải ăn mắm ngóe
(He who goes to Laos has to eat frog sauce )
As: Đáo giang tùy khúc, nhập gia tùy tục
Sang mỗi người một thích, lịch mỗi người mỗi mùi
(He has his own nobleness and she has her own gentleness)
Different people have different tastes and behaviours
Sáng gió may, tối quay gió nồm
(Northern wind in the morning but southern wind in the evening)
One may change his opinion very quickly
Sáng rửa cưa, trưa mài đục, tối giục cơm
(He who grinds the saw in the morning and the chisel in the afternoon, hurries for dinner in the evening )
As: Ăn cỗ đi trước, lội nước đi sau
Sáng tai họ, điếc tai cày
(The buffalo who is sharp-eared at the call of stopping is deaf at the call of ploughing )
As : Điếc tai cày, sáng tai họ
Sáng ướt áo, trưa ráo đầu
(He whose shirt gets wet in the morning will have his hair dried at noon )
Those who suffer hardships and difficulties at work will lead a happy life afterward
Sáo ngã, bồ câu lướt rập
(After the magpie had fallen into the trap, the pigeon flew past it )
One can learn how to get the way to success or out of dangers as well as hardships, difficulties from others’ failures
Sắc bất ba đào dị nịch nhân
(Beauty has no waves but it can drown people )
It’s easy for a man to go silly over a beautiful lady
Sắc nanh, chuột dễ cắn được cổ mèo
(With its sharp teeth, even a mouse can bite off a cat’s throat )
Even a weak man can defeat a strong man if he has
enough wisdom and conditions
Sấm bên đông, động bên tây
(The thunderclap arose in the East, everything in the West was shaken )
One man's doing may affect others around
Sâu ao lắm cá, độc dạ khốn thân
(There are lots of fish in a deep pond but a cruel man will meet with troubles )
As: ác giả, ác báo
Sẩy cha còn chú, sảy mẹ bú dì
(He whose father is no longer living still has his uncle, she whose mother is dead sucks her aunt’s breast )
One’s uncle and aunt are considered his step parents when his parents are no longer living
Sẩy chân còn hơn sẩy miệng
(Better a foot slips than a tongue)
As: Sa chân đỡ lại, sa miệng đỡ không lại
Sẩy chồng ra thói trăng hoa
(When her husband is away, she indulges in lust )
A woman may not keep her virtue when living far from her husband
Sẩy đàn, tan nghé
(When their pack is broken, the calves will be scattered / Out of its pack, a calf will be lost )
l When a family is broken down, its members have to live far from one another
l Out of his family, a child will fall in misery
Sẩy nhà ra thất nghiệp
(He who has gone out of his house becomes homeless )
When one has to stay out far from his family, he may meet a lot of inconvenience, trouble or even ill-treatment
Sẩy nồi , vơ rế
(He who had missed the cooking pot, caught its holder )
When one has lost his main purpose, he may try to gain something else instead
Sẩy vai, xuống cánh tay
(Out of the shoulder, down onto the arm )
As: Của ruộng đắp bờ
Sểnh nạ, quạ tha
(When the hen neglected her chicks, they were clawed by the raven )
l Without its mother’s care, a child may be harmed by others
l Without their protector’s care, the weak may be harmed by others
Sếu chết về mồi
(The crane died of the prey )
One may meet misfortune for petty profits
Sinh có hạn , tử bất kì
(There is a term for a man’s birth but there is no term for his death )
One may die at any time
Sinh con, ai dễ sinh lòng
(Who can give dispositions to their children when they give birth to them ?)
Everyone has his own disposition
Sinh được một con, mất một hòn máu
(She who gave birth to a child, lost a clod of blood )
One has to suffer a lot of hardship when giving birth to a child
Sinh nghề, tử nghiệp
(He who lives on his occupation will die of his occupation)
As: Giàu chủ kho, no đầu bếp, chóng chết quản voi
Sinh sự, sự sinh
(He who causes troubles will be troubled by troubles )
Those who cause troubles to others will certainly meet with troubles
Cp: Don’t trouble trouble till trouble troubles you
Sinh tử bất kì
(Death comes at any time)
Nobody knows about his death
Sóng đâu không mòi, khói đâu không lửa
(There are no waves without bubbles and smoke without fire)
As: Không có lửa làm sao có khói
Sóng trước đổ đâu, sóng sau đổ đó
(The latter wave falls down where the former one has fallen)
As: Cha nào, con ấy
Sông có khúc, người có lúc
(A river sometimes winds and a man is sometimes down)
As: Giàu chiều hôm, khó sớm mai
Sông hoắm không chết, đi chết vũng trâu đầm
(He who hadn’t drowned in a deep river drowned in the little pool for a buffalo to wallow)
One may escape major calamities but can’t escape minor ones
Sống chết có số
(One’s life depends on his destiny)
One shouldn’t be afraid of death
Sống chẳng cho ăn, chết làm văn tế ruồi
(When living, he was given nothing to eat; when he’s dead, the offering to him just serves flies)
One may ill-treat his parents when they are alive but try to show his filialness to them when they are no longer living
Sống chết mặc bay, tiền thầy bỏ túi
(I don’t care for your lives but the money I’ve just raked into my pocket )
A selfish and cruel man is always indifferent to others’ misfortunes and even makes use of them to get benefits
Sống cục đất, mất cục vàng
(He who had been a clod of soil when alive was a piece of gold when he died)
One may get others’ pity, love or respect only when he is no longer living
Sống dầu đèn, chết kèn trống
(He who had needed oil and lamps when alive needed trumpets and drums when he died)
There should be mourning music in funerals
Sống đục sao bằng thác trong
(To live muddily is not as good as to die purely)
As: Chết trong còn hơn sống đục
Sống được miếng dồi chó, chết được bó vàng tâm
(He who had tasted a piece of dogsausage when alive shrouded in a canary-wood coffin when he died)
l Dogsausage is a good dish that many people like to eat and canary wood is a very good kind of wood for making coffins that many people wish to be shrouded in when they die
l One always wishes for the best
Sống gửi, thác về
(Living is residing provisionally and dying is coming back home)
Some people think that our earthly life is just a temporary one and the ater-death life is an etemal one
Sống lâu biết nhiều sự lạ
(The more you live, the more strange things you know)
l The more one lives, the more knowledge and experiences he gets
l Life can creat a lot of wonders
Sống lâu lên lão làng
(His age makes him an old folk)
One may get an honourable position with his old age or his long time of working, not with his talents or skills
Sống mỗi người một nết, chết mỗi người một tật
(Everyone has his own manner of living and gets his own disease for dying)
Different people have different dispositions, happinesses and sorrows
Cp: Every man must carry his own cross
Sống mỗi người một nhà, chết mỗi người một mồ
(Everyone has his own house to live and his own grave to die)
People’s tastes are different
Cp: Every man to his taste
Sống no hơn chết thèm
(Beter live with your fill than die with your want)
One should think of his earthly life first of all
Sống ở làng, sang ở nước
(He who has his life in the village gets his fame from the country)
Only when one’s fame is far reaching can he become a famous person
Sống về mồ về mả, chẳng ai sống về cả bát cơm
(Nobody can live with big bowls of rice, but with his ancestors’ graves)
l Superstitious people think the situation of their ancestors’ graves can affect their life
l One should care for his ancestors’ graves, not only his material present life.
Sợ bát cơm đầy, không sợ thầy lớn tiếng
(He is afraid of his bowlful of rice, not of his master’s shouts )
The employee has to stand the employer’s ill-treatment just for his bread
Sợ hẹp lòng, không sợ hẹp nhà
(He is afraid his heart, not his house, is narrow )
People can live together when they are kind to one another
Sợ hùm, sợ cả cứt hùm
(He who is afraid of the tiger, is afraid of his shit, too)
When one is afraid of somebody, one is afraid of his men, too
Sợ người ở phải, hãi người cho ăn
(He who is afraid of orderly people is afraid of his helpers, too )
One has to respect orderly people and treat his helpers with indulgence
Sớm ngồi lê, tối vê sồi
(She who had an idle talk in the morning, spinned threads in the evening )
A lazy man often works without schedule
Sơn ăn từng mặt, ma bắt từng người
(The paint chooses faces to attack and the ghost chooses people to claw)
As: Ma bắt, coi mặt người ta
Sơn lâm chê ngược, vườn tược chê xuôi
(He who blames that the forest is upward blames that the garden is downward )
Nothing can please a hard-tempered person
Sung cũng như ngái, mái cũng như mây
(The sycamore and the ficus as well as the rattan and the wild rattan are alike )
As: Máu bò cũng như tiết dê
Suy bụng ta ra bụng người
(He measures others’ bellies as his )
One may think others have the same ideas and thoughts as he does
Cp: Measure another’s corn by one’s own bushel
Sư nói sư phải, vãi nói vãi hay
(The monk says he
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