liệu cơm gắp mắm
Vietnamese
Etymology
Literally, “to consider the amount of rice one has in order to pick the right amount of sidedish”. Compare English don't bite off more than one can chew, German Man muss sich nach der Decke strecken.
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [liəw˧˨ʔ kəːm˧˧ ɣap̚˧˦ mam˧˦]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [liw˨˩ʔ kəːm˧˧ ɣap̚˦˧˥ mam˦˧˥]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [liw˨˩˨ kəːm˧˧ ɣap̚˦˥ mam˦˥]
Verb
- (idiomatic) to be mindful of one's surroundings and circumstances to choose the right options