"Thick orange peel" and "sharp fingernails"

There's a Vietnamese proverb: "A thick orange peel has sharp fingernails." The Dictionary of Vietnamese Idioms and Proverbs (by Professor Nguyen Lan, first published in 1989; reprinted by Literature Publishing House in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017) explains it as: "Meaning: Both sides are equally formidable, making it difficult to deceive or harm each other." Similarly, in the Dictionary of Vietnamese Words and Phrases (by the same author, first published in 2000, reprinted and revised by Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House in 2006), Professor Nguyen Lan explains it similarly: "It means two equally formidable opponents, making it difficult to deceive or harm each other," and gives the example: "Those two men had a deep conflict, but a thick orange peel has sharp fingernails; they couldn't do anything to each other."

This explanation means that a "thick orange peel" can't do anything to a "sharp fingernail," and a "sharp fingernail" can't do anything to a "thick orange peel" either; both are formidable, so "nothing can be done to each other."

In our opinion, this interpretation leans towards the meaning of phrases like: "A thief meets an old woman," "A thief and an old woman meet each other," or "The clever meet the devil, the wicked meet the monster, the evil meet each other" (The man's wife is a mischievous and cunning devil/ This time, the thief and the old woman meet each other! - The Tale of Kieu).

Literally speaking: A tangerine with a thick peel seems impossible to peel, but there's something else that can overcome it: sharp fingernails. So, "sharp fingernails" are more formidable than "thick tangerine peel," yet how can it be said that both are "equally formidable, not easily deceived or harmed"?

In Vietnamese, there are many synonyms for "A thick orange peel has sharp nails," such as: A clever mouse has a clever cat; A green fruit has sharp fangs; Lean meat is a cleaver, bones are an axe; There's a miracle cure for a devilish disease; There's a path to climb a high mountain / There's a miracle cure for serious illnesses,...

Chinese proverbs also have many similar sayings: "One thing is controlled by another" (一物降一物), meaning: One thing is controlled by another; "A crooked tree has a straight ink string" (彎樹子, 直墨繩), meaning: A crooked tree has a straight ink string; "A copper plate has a steel broom to clean it; an evil person has an evil person to punish them" (銅盤撞了, 鐵掃磨; 惡人有惡人治), meaning: A copper plate has an iron broom to clean it; an evil person has an evil person to punish them (refer to the Dictionary of Chinese-Vietnamese Proverbs - Le Khanh Truong - Le Viet Anh, The Gioi Publishing House, 2002).

Thus, the figurative meaning of the saying "A thick orange peel can be pierced by a sharp fingernail" is not that two sides are equally matched and cannot do anything to each other, but rather: no matter how difficult something seems to overcome, there will always be something more skillful to counter it. This is an expression of the law of mutual antagonism in nature and society.

Hoang Trinh Son (Contributor)

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/vo-quyt-day-va-nbsp-mong-tay-nhon-285240.htm