lên voi xuống chó

Vietnamese

Etymology

Literally “to go from riding elephants to stepping on dogs”, perhaps alluding to the fact that ancient monarchs and commanders rode elephants, and that dogs are just lowly animals used for watching.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [len˧˧ vɔj˧˧ suəŋ˧˦ t͡ɕɔ˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [len˧˧ vɔj˧˧ suəŋ˦˧˥ t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ləːn˧˧ vɔj˧˧ suəŋ˦˥ cɔ˦˥] ~ [ləːn˧˧ jɔj˧˧ suəŋ˦˥ cɔ˦˥]

Verb

lên voi xuống chó

1. (idiomatic) to go from riches to rags