give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

English

Etymology

The oldest English-language use of the proverb has been found in Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie's (1837–1919) novel, Mrs. Dymond (1885), in a slightly different form:

" […] if you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn.

Possibly a translation of the ancient Chinese saying 授人以魚不如授人以漁／授人以鱼不如授人以渔 (shòu rén yǐ yú bùrú shòu rén yǐ yú).

Proverb

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

It is more worthwhile to teach someone to do something (for themselves) than to do it for them (on an ongoing basis).

Translations

more worthwhile to teach someone than do it for them

Bengali: একটি মানুষ একটি মাছ দাও এবং আপনি একটি দিনের জন্য তাকে ভোজন. মাছ ধরা একটি মানুষ শেখান এবং আপনি সারা জীবনের জন্য তাকে ভোজন (ekṭi manuṣ ekṭi mach dao ebông apni ekṭi diner jônjô take bhojnô. mach dhôra ekṭi manuṣ śekhan ebông apni sara jībner jônjô take bhojôn)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 授人以魚不如授人以漁 (zh), 授人以鱼不如授人以渔 (zh) (shòu rén yǐ yú bùrú shòu rén yǐ yú)
Czech: dej člověku rybu - nasytíš ho na jeden den; nauč ho chytat ryby - nasytíš jej na celý život
Danish: Giv en mand en fisk, og han har mad for en dag. Lær en mand at fiske, og han har mad for livet
Finnish: anna miehelle kala ja ruokit hänet päiväksi; opeta hänet kalastamaan ja ruokit hänet loppuelämäksi.
French: Donne un poisson à un homme, il mangera un jour. Apprends-lui à pêcher, il mangera toute sa vie.
German: Gib einem Mann einen Fisch und du ernährst ihn für einen Tag. Lehre einen Mann zu fischen und du ernährst ihn für sein Leben.

Hindi: किसी के लिए काम करने की अपिक्षा में उसे अपने आप करने सिखाना बेहतर है (kisī ke lie kām karne kī apikṣā mẽ use apne āp karne sikhānā behtar hai)
Italian: dai un pesce ad un uomo e lo sfami per un giorno;insegna ad un uomo a pescare e lo sfami per sempre
Japanese: 魚を与えるのではなく魚の釣り方を教えよ (さかなをあたえるのではなくさかなのつりかたをおしえよ, Sakana o ataeru no de wa naku sakana no tsurikata o oshie yo)
Lithuanian: duok žmogui žuvį - bus sotus vieną dieną, išmok jį meškerioti - bus sotus likusį gyvenimą
Polish: dając człowiekowi rybę - karmisz go na jeden dzień; dając człowiekowi wędkę - karmisz go na całe życie.
Portuguese: dê a um homem um peixe e você o alimentará por um dia. Ensine-o a pescar e você o alimentará por toda uma vida
Russian: дай челове́ку ры́бу, и ты нако́рмишь его́ на оди́н день, научи́ челове́ка рыба́чить — и ты накормишь его́ на всю жизнь (daj čelovéku rýbu, i ty nakórmišʹ jevó na odín denʹ, naučí čelovéka rybáčitʹ — i ty nakormišʹ jevó na vsju žiznʹ)

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