- English translation
Like hens that lay and groan with effort, all for the trader's gain.
- Literal wording
Like the hens: they lay eggs and strain for the merchant.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pictures hens pushing and groaning to produce eggs, only for those eggs to end up with the merchant who sells them. The bird bears the whole strain of laying, yet the profit goes entirely to someone else.
Applied to people, it describes anyone who exhausts themselves on a task whose rewards are collected by another. It points to the gap between whoever does the hard work and whoever enjoys its benefits.
- When it is used
Use this when someone puts real effort or suffering into work while another party keeps the gain, such as a laborer enriching an employer. It may express sympathy for the toiler or gently mock their willingness to keep straining for someone else.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Like hens that lay and groan with effort, all for the trader's gain.