- English translation
A pleasant mouthful, however small, can satisfy a hundred people.
- Literal wording
The agreeable morsel suffices for a hundred.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying claims that agreeable food, wholesome and easy to enjoy, goes much further than its quantity suggests. A small portion, eaten with pleasure, can satisfy a surprising number of people, so the stress falls on how good the meal is rather than on its size.
In practice it reassures and encourages contentment. Gatherings need not wait for abundance, because a little that is enjoyed together feels like plenty. The hundred is hyperbole for a large crowd rather than a literal count.
- When it is used
Fitting when a small quantity of food is shared among several people, to affirm that what is pleasant and wholesome to eat can satisfy many. It places the worth of a meal in its quality rather than in its amount.
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