ông ăn chả, bà ăn nem

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔan˧˧ t͡ɕaː˧˩ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔan˧˧ nɛm˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaŋ˧˧ t͡ɕaː˧˨ ʔɓaː˦˩ ʔaŋ˧˧ nɛm˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaŋ˧˧ caː˨˩˦ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔaŋ˧˧ nɛm˧˧]
• Phonetic spelling: ông ăn chả bà ăn nem

Phrase

ông ăn chả, bà ăn nem

1. Literally — he eats chả ("ham") and she eats nem ("spring rolls") (Both are delicacies in Vietnamese cuisine). Both husband and wife commit adultery, usually successively (i.e. "husband cheats, and wife cheats in retaliation").