చెరువు తెగగొట్టి చేపలు వండిపెట్టగానే మాన్యుడగునా?

cheruvu tegagotti chepalu vandipettagane manyudaguna?

Translation

Does one become a great person just by breaking a lake's dam to cook fish for others?

Meaning

This expression describes a situation where someone performs a small act of charity or kindness by causing a massive, irreversible destruction or loss. It is used to criticize people who seek praise for superficial favors that were achieved through destructive means or by ruining a greater resource.

Related Phrases

When the tank fills, the frogs assemble.

This proverb is used to describe how people naturally flock to someone who is wealthy, powerful, or successful. Just as frogs gather at a filled pond without an invitation, opportunists and fair-weather friends appear when one has resources or prosperity.

Do not suggest a second marriage to a widower; do not offer to cook for one who can cook for himself.

This proverb highlights the importance of boundary-setting and the futility of offering unwanted help or interference. It suggests that someone who has already experienced a situation (like a widower) or is self-sufficient (like one who cooks) does not need unsolicited advice or assistance that might complicate their current state of peace or routine.

Like cutting off someone's ears and then distributing fish.

This expression describes a situation where someone causes a person a significant loss or injury, and then tries to compensate for it with something trivial or irrelevant. It highlights the absurdity of offering a small, useless favor after causing irreversible damage.

Will a fruit which ripens not of itself ripen if you kick it? Advice is thrown away upon the headstrong.

This proverb is used to explain that certain things cannot be forced and require their own natural time to happen. Just as a raw fruit cannot be forced to ripen instantly through physical force or aggression, results in life often require patience and the right conditions rather than coercion.

Will the bitterness of neem turn into jaggery just by cooking it?

This proverb is used to convey that an individual's inherent nature or character cannot be changed through external efforts or superficial modifications. Just as boiling neem leaves will never make them taste sweet like jaggery, a person with a fundamentally bad or stubborn disposition will not change their core traits easily.

Like breaking the lake's embankment by trusting the rainwater from clouds.

This proverb describes a foolish act of destroying a reliable, existing resource in anticipation of a potential future gain that is uncertain. It is used when someone gives up a certain benefit (like stored lake water) based on the mere hope or promise of something better (like rain clouds) which hasn't arrived yet.

You cannot cover a lake with a clay lid.

This proverb is used to describe an impossible or futile task. It emphasizes that major problems or massive truths cannot be hidden or solved with small, inadequate measures. Just as a small lid cannot cover an entire lake, significant situations require appropriately scaled solutions or cannot be suppressed by trivial efforts.

As if the milk arrived the moment the child was born

This expression is used to describe a situation where a necessary resource or solution becomes available exactly when it is needed, often by natural design or perfect timing. It highlights the providence of nature or a stroke of good luck where preparation meets a new requirement perfectly.

The pond longs for water, and the water longs for the pond.

This expression describes a mutually beneficial or codependent relationship where two entities need each other to exist or fulfill their purpose. It is used to illustrate situations where both parties are equally dependent on one another, much like how a pond is just a pit without water, and water needs a container to stay gathered.

When the pond dries up, the fish are revealed.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where secrets or hidden truths come to light when a protective cover or a source of support disappears. It can also imply that when a person's resources or power vanish, their true nature or past actions become visible to everyone.