lên voi xuống chó

Vietnamese

Etymology

Literally “going up as high as sitting on an elephant’s back, going down as low as a dog" (Vương Gia Thụy, 2018) perhaps alluding to the fact that ancient monarchs and commanders rode elephants while dogs were considered lowly animals used for guarding.

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

(idiomatic) to have ups and downs in one's life; to go from rags to riches and/or riches to rags; to move up and down the socioeconomic ladder