proverb · Words worth keeping
Don’t ask a hungry man to watch your rice.
Don’t ask a hungry man to watch your rice.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A hungry person asked to guard rice depicts an avoidable conflict between immediate need and an assigned responsibility. The saying asks whether circumstances fit the task.
What the words are saying
A critical reading does not presume hungry people are dishonest. A useful application addresses need and sets fair arrangements rather than judging someone from deprivation. The image is not a licence to exclude people or withhold trust merely because they lack resources.
Everyday example
A coordinator provides a meal and clarifies responsibilities instead of treating hunger as evidence of theft.
When to use it
Use this as an editorial reading of the source image, with its stated limits retained.
What it does not mean
Hunger does not establish dishonesty or justify discrimination.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 322; PDF page 34; collection label: Tibet Province of China
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Tibet Province of China