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

liệu cơm gắp mắm

1. (idiomatic) to be mindful of one's surroundings and circumstances to choose the right options