Chinese characters and pinyin
Simplified: 授人以鱼，不如授人以渔
Traditional: 授人以魚，不如授人以漁
Pinyin: shòu rén yǐ yú, bù rú shòu rén yǐ yú
Literal translation
Giving someone a fish is not as good as teaching them to fish.
Natural English meaning
Teaching a lasting skill is more valuable than providing one temporary solution.
Closest English equivalent
Teach a person to fish.
The familiar English version communicates the same contrast between relief and self-reliance.
When to use it
Use it when advocating education, tools, or sustainable support.
When not to use it
Avoid using it to deny urgent help when immediate needs are real.
Example sentence
与其替他做完，不如教会方法，授人以鱼不如授人以渔。
Instead of doing it for him, teach the method so he can solve it next time.
Origin and cultural context
A modern formulation of a teaching principle often linked broadly to Chinese educational thought; its exact wording is comparatively recent.
Classification: popular saying. This label distinguishes a complete proverb or popular saying from a compact idiom or a quotation preserved from a classical text.
