- English translation
The egg she lays is worth more than the night she is killed for.
- Literal wording
Her egg is better than her night.
- Meaning and lesson
A modest benefit that continues over time is preferable to a larger gain that is obtained once and then disappears. The saying contrasts keeping a productive hen for its eggs with slaughtering it for a single meal.
It advises patience and preservation of a reliable source of value. What seems like a smaller return can prove more worthwhile when it recurs, whereas an immediate windfall may end the possibility of future benefit.
- When it is used
Use it when someone is tempted to consume, sell, or discard something that can keep providing steady returns. It favors maintaining a durable resource over taking a one-time payoff.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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