proverb · Legacy record
Inconsiderate people forget after the favor is done just as a boat is abandoned after crossing the river.
Inconsiderate people forget after the favor is done just as a boat is abandoned after crossing the river.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A boat abandoned after a crossing compares forgotten favours with discarding a useful means once its purpose is served. The saying criticises instrumental treatment of helpers.
What the words are saying
The metaphor invites recognition of assistance without making gratitude an unlimited debt. A responsible reading allows boundaries and fair disagreement after help has been received. A helper’s contribution matters, but it does not confer ownership of another person’s decisions.
Everyday example
Someone acknowledges earlier support while explaining a boundary about a new request.
When to use it
Use this as an editorial reading of the source image, with its stated limits retained.
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What it does not mean
Gratitude does not create unlimited obligation or control.
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 321; 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