proverb · Words worth keeping
Fail to steal the chicken while it ate up your bait grain.
Fail to steal the chicken while it ate up your bait grain.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying has an attempt to steal a chicken fail while the bait grain is lost. It depicts an unsuccessful aim with an added cost.
Example
A reader identifies the failed aim and the extra loss rather than substituting the unrelated ditch image.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The two losses make the attempted gain counterproductive. The supplied ditch-and-wisdom gloss describes a different image and does not explain these words. A critical application can examine a failed undertaking without endorsing theft, giving a method or claiming every failure teaches wisdom.
When to use it
Use it to discuss compounded loss without endorsing the attempted wrongdoing.
Keep in mind
No theft method, guaranteed lesson or verified cultural origin is established.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their 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
- Date unknown