lấy dạ tiểu nhân đo lòng quân tử
Vietnamese edit
Etymology edit
Calque of Chinese 以小人之心，度君子之腹 (dĩ tiểu nhân chi tâm, đạc quân tử chi phúc, literally “to use the inferior person's heart to measure the superior person's belly; to gauge the heart of a gentleman with one's own petty measure”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ləj˧˦ zaː˧˨ʔ tiəw˧˩ ɲən˧˧ ʔɗɔ˧˧ lawŋ͡m˨˩ kwən˧˧ tɨ˧˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ləj˨˩˦ jaː˨˩ʔ tiw˧˨ ɲəŋ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˧˧ lawŋ͡m˦˩ kwəŋ˧˧ tɨ˧˨] ~ [ləj˨˩˦ jaː˨˩ʔ tiw˧˨ ɲəŋ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˧˧ lɔŋ˦˩ kwəŋ˧˧ tɨ˧˨]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ləj˦˥ jaː˨˩˨ tiw˨˩˦ ɲəŋ˧˧ ʔɗɔ˧˧ lawŋ͡m˨˩ wəŋ˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]
Idiom edit
lấy dạ tiểu nhân đo lòng quân tử
- to be cynical; to be skeptical of the integrity, sincerity, or motives of others; to psychologically project