It is not from Lao Tzu, but comes from "Huainanzi·Shuo Lin Xun" written by Liu An of the Western Han Dynasty.

The original text says: "It is better to go home and weave a net when you are standing by the river and envy the fish."

It means: It is better to go home and weave a net when you stand by the water and want to catch fish.

“It is better to teach people how to fish than to teach them how to fish”, which means that it is better to teach people how to learn knowledge than to teach them knowledge.

The truth is actually very simple. Fish is the purpose, and fishing is the means. A fish can relieve hunger for a while, but it cannot relieve hunger for a long time. If you want to have fish to eat forever, you must learn how to fish.

Extended information

"Huainanzi", also known as "Huainan Honglie", is a philosophical work collectively written by Liu An, King of Huainan and his disciples of the Western Han Dynasty royal family.

On the basis of inheriting the Taoist thought of the pre-Qin Dynasty, this book synthesizes the best parts of the theories of various schools of thought, and plays an irreplaceable role in the study of the culture of the Qin and Han Dynasties in later generations. Ban Gu's "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" classifies it as "Zajia", and "Sikuquanshu General Catalog" also classifies it as "Zajia" and belongs to Zibu.

On the basis of inheriting the Taoist thoughts of the pre-Qin Dynasty, this book combines Yin-Yang, Mohism, Dharma and part of Confucianism, but its main purpose belongs to Taoism. "Hong" means vast, and "lie" means bright. The author believes that this book contains broad and bright principles like Tao.

Liu An's father, Liu Chang, was the bastard son of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and was named King of Huainan. As the eldest son, Liu An inherited his father's title, so he was also called King of Huainan. The purpose of Liu An's writing "Huainanzi" was to target Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who had just ascended the throne, and to oppose the political reforms he implemented.

Liang Qichao said: "Huainan Honglie" is the origin of Taoism in the Western Han Dynasty. Its book is broad and coherent, and it is the first-rate among Han writings." Hu Shi said: "Taoism is a collection of ancient thoughts. "The Huainan Book is a great collection of Taoist works." Liu Wendian wrote "The Collection of Huainan Honglie".

The description of "Huainanzi" is divided into twenty-one inner chapters, eight middle chapters, and thirty-three outer chapters. The inner chapters are about Taoism, the middle chapters are about health preservation, and the outer chapters are miscellaneous.

When elucidating the philosophy, we also discussed strange objects, strange creatures, ghosts and spirits, and preserved some mythological materials, such as "Nuwa patched up the sky", "Houyi shot the sun", "The wrath of the workers cannot be touched". Ancient myths such as "Zhou Mountain", "Chang'e Flying to the Moon", "Dayu Controlling the Floods", "A blessing in disguise" are mainly spread through this book.

Baidu Encyclopedia--Huainanzi·Speaking of Lin Xun