gừng càng già càng cay

Vietnamese

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 薑越老越辣／姜越老越辣 (jiāngyuèlǎoyuèlà).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ɣɨŋ˨˩ kaːŋ˨˩ zaː˨˩ kaːŋ˨˩ kaj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ɣɨŋ˦˩ kaːŋ˦˩ jaː˦˩ kaːŋ˦˩ kaj˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ɣɨŋ˨˩ kaːŋ˨˩ jaː˨˩ kaːŋ˨˩ ka(ː)j˧˧]

Proverb

gừng càng già càng cay

1. (literally) the older the ginger, the hotter the spice
2. (figurative) the older a person is, the wiser they are; a person is more and more experienced as they age