- English translation
Like a hen scratching the dirt, he finds his living right beneath his feet.
- Literal wording
Like the chickens, his provision is under his feet.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying describes a person whose livelihood seems to follow them. Wherever they go, the means to live turns up close at hand, so that getting by never appears to require reaching far beyond where they already stand.
The comparison draws on chickens pecking at the earth: whenever they search the dirt around them, some morsel appears. The person is likened to these birds because their own sustenance surfaces with the same ready ease, lying right at their feet.
- When it is used
Applied to a person whose means of living come readily, turning up wherever that person goes, so that getting by never seems to demand a long or hard search. It describes how easily sustenance reaches someone.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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