cá lớn ăn cá bé

/kaː lɔn ʔan kaː ɓe/

phrase★Intermediate— the strong exploit the weak◆proverb

◆ What It Really Means

The strong exploit or dominate the weak, often through unfair means.

¶ Literal Meaning

Large fish eat small fish.

Literal Breakdown

cá lớnlarge fish+ănto eat+cá bésmall fish

◇ Mental Image

A large fish consuming a smaller one, symbolizing dominance and exploitation.

◈ When to Use

A small business owner might use this phrase to describe how a large corporation is driving them out of the market through unfair practices.

◉ Cultural Note

This proverb is rooted in Vietnamese observations of nature and has been applied to social and economic systems for generations.

informal

A proverb describing how powerful entities (people, companies, or systems) take advantage of weaker ones, often through unfair means.

Cá lớn ăn cá bé trong ngành công nghiệp này đã khiến nhiều doanh nghiệp nhỏ phải đóng cửa.

The big fish eating the small fish in this industry has forced many small businesses to shut down.

💡

This proverb reflects the harsh reality of competition and power dynamics in society and business.

Synonyms

the strong devour the weak

This proverb is widely used in Vietnamese culture to describe power imbalances and exploitation, often in business or political contexts.

This phrase is commonly used to describe corporate monopolies or unfair competition where larger companies dominate smaller ones.

Derived from the natural behavior of larger fish preying on smaller ones, extended metaphorically to human social and economic systems.

This proverb is often used to criticize unfair practices in business, politics, or social structures where the powerful dominate the weak.

cá lớn

big fish

phrase

ăn

eat

verb

cá bé

small fish

phrase

Từ Điển Việt Anh