give a man a fish
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Ellipsis of give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
cho một người một con cá và anh ta sẽ no trong một ngày; dạy một người cách câu cá và anh ta sẽ no trong suốt cuộc đời
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “give a man a fish” mean?
Ellipsis of give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Is “give a man a fish” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.