nước đến chân mới nhảy

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [nɨək̚˧˦ ʔɗen˧˦ t͡ɕən˧˧ məːj˧˦ ɲaj˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [nɨək̚˦˧˥ ʔɗen˦˧˥ t͡ɕəŋ˧˧ məːj˨˩˦ ɲaj˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [nɨək̚˦˥ ʔɗəːn˦˥ cəŋ˧˧ məːj˦˥ ɲa(ː)j˨˩˦]

Adjective

nước đến chân mới nhảy

1. (idiomatic) to wait for something bad to happen then trying to fix it; literally "to jump only when the water touches your feet"