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tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn

phrase
Hanoi [tot̚˧˦ ɣo˦ˀ˥ həːn˧˧ tot̚˧˦ nɨək̚˧˦ səːn˧˧]Huế [tok̚˦˧˥ ɣow˧˨ həːŋ˧˧ tok̚˦˧˥ nɨək̚˦˧˥ ʂəːŋ˧˧]Saigon [tok̚˦˥ ɣow˨˩˦ həːŋ˧˧ tok̚˦˥ nɨək̚˦˥ ʂəːŋ˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn means beauty is only skin deep.

Meanings of tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn in English

Phrase

  1. idiomatic, literal good wood is better than good paint
  2. figurative, idiomatic beauty is only skin deep; you can't judge a book by its cover

Frequently asked questions

What does tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn mean in English?

tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn (phrase) means "beauty is only skin deep".

How do you pronounce tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn?

IPA: Hanoi [tot̚˧˦ ɣo˦ˀ˥ həːn˧˧ tot̚˧˦ nɨək̚˧˦ səːn˧˧]; Saigon [tok̚˦˥ ɣow˨˩˦ həːŋ˧˧ tok̚˦˥ nɨək̚˦˥ ʂəːŋ˧˧]. Tones: tốt — rising tone (sắc), gỗ — creaky rising tone (ngã), hơn — level tone (ngang), tốt — rising tone (sắc), nước — rising tone (sắc), sơn — level tone (ngang).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited. IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.