- English translation
The hand weary from work has enough to eat.
- Literal wording
The tired hand is full.
- Meaning and lesson
Diligent work is presented as a way of meeting basic needs: the person whose hands are tired from labor is the one able to satisfy hunger. It praises effort as materially sustaining, without claiming that hard work invariably brings prosperity.
The saying encourages self-reliance and persistence rather than idleness. Its image contrasts the fatigue of honest work with the relief of having enough to eat, emphasizing modest security rather than wealth.
- When it is used
Use it to commend someone who works steadily for a living, or to urge practical effort when ordinary needs are the concern. It suits advice about labor and independence, especially where modest security rather than riches is at stake.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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