# The best-known Vietnamese proverbs and what they mean

From "When you eat the fruit, remember who planted the tree" to "Grind an iron bar long enough and it becomes a needle" and "Near ink you turn black, near a lamp you shine": the Vietnamese proverbs everyone knows, with a literal translation and their meaning.

- 32 votes · 14 items
- Sep 21, 2022 · Bùi Hoàng Minh
- https://even.best/en/l/5338/the-best-known-vietnamese-proverbs-and-what-they-mean

## Top 14

1. **"When you eat the fruit, remember who planted the tree"** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — Be grateful to those who made your good fortune possible.
2. **"Even when the paper is torn, keep its margin"** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Hold on to your principles even in hard times.
3. **"Choose where you eat and choose whom you befriend"** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Pick your company carefully.
4. **"Grind an iron bar long enough and one day it becomes a needle"** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Perseverance gets even the hardest job done.
5. **"Hungry but clean, ragged but fragrant"** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Keep your dignity even in poverty.
6. **"Good wood is better than good paint"** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — What is inside matters more than appearances.
7. **"Good character beats beauty to death"** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Good character is worth more than good looks.
8. **"Learn to eat, learn to speak, learn to wrap and to unwrap"** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Learn good manners in even the smallest things.
9. **"Stay near ink and you turn black; stay near a lamp and you shine"** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The people around you shape who you become.
10. **"Travel one day's road, gain a basketful of wisdom"** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Travel broadens the mind.
11. **"With will, you succeed"** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Where there's a will, there's a way.
12. **"When eating, watch the pot; when sitting, watch where you sit"** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Be mindful of others and behave properly.
13. **"Fence the tree you eat from"** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Look after what feeds you.
14. **"Eat the porridge, then kick the bowl"** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Said of ingrates who turn on those who helped them.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.