proverb · Legacy record
Scholars are invaluable to a nation, same as the main course to a banquet.
Scholars are invaluable to a nation, same as the main course to a banquet.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Scholars compared with a banquet’s main course give learning a central social value. The saying presents intellectual contribution as important to a nation.
What the words are saying
The food analogy is a valuation rather than a measured ranking of professions. A useful interpretation can appreciate knowledge while recognising the many other forms of work a society needs. Credentials alone do not establish reliable insight, and people without them retain equal dignity.
Everyday example
A community values relevant research while considering the other experience needed for a shared decision.
When to use it
Use it to discuss knowledge’s contribution without a status hierarchy.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No universal profession ranking or authority from credentials alone is established.
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
China
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 290; PDF page 31; collection label: China
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- China