- English translation
A tree that gives no shade to its own family has earned the axe.
- Literal wording
The tree that does not cast shade over its own people: its cutting down has become permitted.
- Meaning and lesson
A person is valued by his own people for the protection and benefit he gives them, much as a tree is valued for its shade. Someone who withholds care and support from his family has failed in the very role that justified their attachment to him.
The proverb therefore says that such a person forfeits the regard of his kin, who may cut ties with him, since a bond that brings no shelter has no reason to be kept. The cutting down is figurative, meaning withdrawn loyalty, not physical harm.
- When it is used
Fits remarks about a relative who prospers yet gives nothing to the family around him, or who leaves them without help in hard times. It implies his kin owe him nothing more, so it is harsh criticism, and can sound like a justification for disowning kin; use it carefully.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: A tree that gives no shade to its own family has earned the axe.