An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 25 most common Vietnamese idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Vietnamese idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, Nước đến chân mới nhảy literally means "the water reaches the feet before one jumps" but is used to mean to leave things until the very last minute instead of preparing ahead. This free page ranks the 25 most common Vietnamese idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 25 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
Nước đến chân mới nhảy
Literally the water reaches the feet before one jumps
Means to leave things until the very last minute instead of preparing ahead
Example Lúc nào nó cũng nước đến chân mới nhảy, chẳng chịu chuẩn bị trước.
He always waits until the very last second, he never prepares in advance.
Ăn cháo đá bát
Literally to eat the porridge, then kick the bowl
Means to be ungrateful toward someone who helped you
English idiom to bite the hand that feeds you
Example Nó được giúp đỡ bao nhiêu mà giờ quay lưng, đúng là ăn cháo đá bát.
After all the help he was given, now he turns his back, he really bites the hand that feeds him.
Note A harsh accusation, saved for real betrayal rather than small slights.
Mất bò mới lo làm chuồng
Literally only after losing the ox does one worry about building the pen
Means to take precautions only after the damage is already done
English idiom to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted
Example Đến khi bị trộm mất xe rồi mới chịu mua khóa, đúng là mất bò mới lo làm chuồng.
Only after his motorbike was stolen did he finally buy a lock, shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Được voi đòi tiên
Literally getting the elephant, demanding the fairy
Means never satisfied with what one already has, always demanding more
English idiom give an inch and take a mile
Example Cho nó ở nhờ một tuần giờ nó còn đòi ở luôn, đúng là được voi đòi tiên.
We let him stay for a week and now he wants to move in for good, give him an inch and he takes a mile.
Giận cá chém thớt
Literally angry at the fish, chop the cutting board
Means to vent anger on someone who had nothing to do with the problem
Example Bị sếp mắng thì đừng về nhà giận cá chém thớt với vợ con.
If your boss scolds you, don't go home and take it out on your wife and kids.
Xa mặt cách lòng
Literally far from the face, distant from the heart
Means feelings fade when two people stop seeing each other
English idiom out of sight, out of mind
Example Yêu xa được vài tháng thì chia tay, đúng là xa mặt cách lòng.
They dated long distance for a few months and then broke up, out of sight really is out of mind.
Một công đôi việc
Literally one effort, two tasks
Means to get two things done with a single action
English idiom to kill two birds with one stone
Example Tiện thể đi làm về ghé chợ luôn, một công đôi việc.
I stop by the market on my way home from work, killing two birds with one stone.
Chuyện bé xé ra to
Literally a small matter torn open into a big one
Means to blow a trivial problem far out of proportion
English idiom to make a mountain out of a molehill
Example Có mỗi cái cốc vỡ mà cãi nhau cả buổi, chuyện bé xé ra to.
It was just a broken cup and they argued all afternoon, making a mountain out of a molehill.
Ếch ngồi đáy giếng
Literally a frog sitting at the bottom of a well
Means someone with a narrow, sheltered view of the world who thinks they know everything
Example Chưa ra khỏi làng mà đã tưởng mình giỏi nhất thiên hạ, đúng là ếch ngồi đáy giếng.
He has never left his village but thinks he is the cleverest person alive, a frog at the bottom of a well.
Note The fable behind it is taught at school, and calling someone this to their face is insulting.
Thùng rỗng kêu to
Literally an empty barrel makes the loudest noise
Means people with the least knowledge or substance often talk the loudest
English idiom empty vessels make the most noise
Example Nó có biết gì đâu mà lúc nào cũng nói to, đúng là thùng rỗng kêu to.
He knows nothing yet always talks the loudest, empty vessels make the most noise.
Tiền nào của nấy
Literally whatever the money, such the goods
Means quality matches the price you paid
English idiom you get what you pay for
Example Mua hàng rẻ nên dùng một tháng đã hỏng, tiền nào của nấy thôi.
I bought the cheap one and it broke after a month, you get what you pay for.
Đứng núi này trông núi nọ
Literally standing on this mountain, looking at that mountain
Means to be discontented with what you have and keep eyeing something else
English idiom the grass is always greener on the other side
Example Có việc ổn định rồi mà vẫn đứng núi này trông núi nọ.
He already has a steady job but still keeps thinking the grass is greener somewhere else.
Note Used about serious things such as a job or a partner, not about small everyday wants.
Con sâu làm rầu nồi canh
Literally one worm spoils the whole pot of soup
Means one bad person or detail ruins the reputation of the whole group
English idiom one bad apple spoils the barrel
Example Chỉ vì một nhân viên làm ẩu mà cả phòng bị đánh giá kém, đúng là con sâu làm rầu nồi canh.
One careless employee got the whole department a bad review, one bad apple spoils the barrel.
Gần mực thì đen, gần đèn thì sáng
Literally near ink you turn black, near a lamp you turn bright
Means a person is shaped for better or worse by the company they keep
Example Cha mẹ hay nhắc con chọn bạn mà chơi vì gần mực thì đen, gần đèn thì sáng.
Parents often tell their children to choose their friends carefully, because you become like the people around you.
Note A full proverb (tục ngữ), quoted by parents and teachers rather than dropped into casual chat.
Có công mài sắt, có ngày nên kim
Literally with the effort of grinding iron, one day it becomes a needle
Means patient, steady effort eventually produces results
English idiom little strokes fell great oaks
Example Cứ học đều mỗi ngày đi, có công mài sắt có ngày nên kim.
Just study a bit every day, steady effort will pay off in the end.
Note A proverb taught in primary school, used to encourage someone rather than to describe them.
Đi guốc trong bụng
Literally to walk around in clogs inside someone's belly
Means to know exactly what someone is thinking or planning
English idiom to read someone like a book
Example Bạn thân lâu năm nên tôi đi guốc trong bụng nó.
We have been close friends for years, so I can read him like a book.
Ăn miếng trả miếng
Literally eat a bite, give a bite back
Means to pay back an attack with an equal one
English idiom tit for tat
Example Hai bên cứ ăn miếng trả miếng nên chuyện càng ngày càng căng.
The two sides kept trading blow for blow, so things got more and more tense.
Vắt chanh bỏ vỏ
Literally to squeeze the lime and throw away the rind
Means to use someone for as long as they are useful and then discard them
Example Công ty đó dùng người xong rồi sa thải, đúng kiểu vắt chanh bỏ vỏ.
That company works people hard and then lays them off, using them up and throwing them away.
Cá lớn nuốt cá bé
Literally big fish swallow small fish
Means the strong prey on the weak and the weak have no protection
English idiom big fish eat little fish
Example Trong kinh doanh, cá lớn nuốt cá bé là chuyện bình thường.
In business, big fish eating little fish is perfectly normal.
Nhập gia tùy tục
Literally enter the house, follow its customs
Means to adapt to the habits of the place you are in
English idiom when in Rome, do as the Romans do
Example Sang nhà người ta chơi thì nhập gia tùy tục, đừng làm theo ý mình.
When you visit someone's home, do as they do, don't just follow your own habits.
Note The wording is Sino-Vietnamese, so it sounds slightly bookish and is common in advice and writing.
Nước đổ lá khoai
Literally water poured onto a taro leaf
Means advice or effort that has no effect at all
English idiom like water off a duck's back
Example Tôi khuyên mãi mà nó vẫn không nghe, đúng là nước đổ lá khoai.
I keep giving him advice and he still doesn't listen, it is like water off a duck's back.
Treo đầu dê, bán thịt chó
Literally hang up a goat's head, sell dog meat
Means to advertise one thing and deliver something cheaper or worse
English idiom bait and switch
Example Quảng cáo thì hoành tráng mà hàng nhận được lại kém chất lượng, đúng là treo đầu dê bán thịt chó.
The advertising was impressive but the goods that arrived were poor quality, a classic bait and switch.
Buôn dưa lê
Literally to trade in melons
Means to sit around chatting and gossiping for a long time
English idiom to chew the fat
Example Hai bà hàng xóm ngồi buôn dưa lê cả buổi chiều.
The two neighbours sat chatting and gossiping the whole afternoon.
Note Very informal and teasing, common in the North, and best kept out of formal situations.
Chó cắn áo rách
Literally a dog bites the torn shirt
Means bad luck keeps piling on someone who is already poor or unfortunate
English idiom when it rains, it pours
Example Nhà đã nghèo lại còn bị mất trộm, đúng là chó cắn áo rách.
The family was already poor and then got robbed, when it rains it pours.
Note Said with sympathy about someone's run of misfortune, not to mock them.
Đâm bị thóc, chọc bị gạo
Literally stab the paddy sack, poke the rice sack
Means to stir up trouble and set people against each other
English idiom to stir the pot
Example Đừng nghe lời nó, nó chuyên đâm bị thóc chọc bị gạo cho hai bên cãi nhau.
Don't listen to him, he is always stirring the pot to get the two sides fighting.
Note The rice imagery is old fashioned, though the phrase is still understood everywhere.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Nước đến chân mới nhảy comes out as "the water reaches the feet before one jumps", which makes no sense until you know it means to leave things until the very last minute instead of preparing ahead.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Vietnamese sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Vietnamese idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with Nước đến chân mới nhảy, Ăn cháo đá bát, Mất bò mới lo làm chuồng, Được voi đòi tiên, Giận cá chém thớt. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 25 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Vietnamese, "Nước đến chân mới nhảy" translates literally as "the water reaches the feet before one jumps", but it actually means to leave things until the very last minute instead of preparing ahead. Example: Lúc nào nó cũng nước đến chân mới nhảy, chẳng chịu chuẩn bị trước. ("He always waits until the very last second, he never prepares in advance.")
The Vietnamese equivalent is "Ăn cháo đá bát", literally "to eat the porridge, then kick the bowl". Example: Nó được giúp đỡ bao nhiêu mà giờ quay lưng, đúng là ăn cháo đá bát. ("After all the help he was given, now he turns his back, he really bites the hand that feeds him.")
In Vietnamese, an idiom is called thành ngữ, and a proverb is tục ngữ. In Vietnamese a thành ngữ is a fixed figurative phrase that slots into a sentence like a single word, while a tục ngữ is a complete sentence that states a piece of folk wisdom or advice.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Nước đến chân mới nhảy translates literally as "the water reaches the feet before one jumps", yet it means to leave things until the very last minute instead of preparing ahead. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Vietnamese with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.