- English translation
Like the mice aboard a boat: whether it rides the water or sits stuck in the mud, they go on nibbling.
- Literal wording
Like the mice of the boat: if it floats, they crunch away, and if it gets mired in mud, they crunch away.
- Meaning and lesson
The scene is a boat with mice living on it. Whether the craft moves freely on the water or lies trapped in mud, the mice keep up their nibbling. Nothing that happens to the boat changes what they do; a smooth passage and a stranded one end the same way for them.
Applied to people, the comparison points to someone whose behavior stays the same however circumstances shift. Two readings remain open: it may describe a person who keeps taking a share whether things go well or badly, or one who keeps causing small harm regardless of outcome. Whether it is meant as criticism or as plain observation is also left open.
- When it is used
Fits moments when someone's conduct carries on unchanged through both favorable and unfavorable turns. Because more than one reading is possible, the surrounding conversation should make clear whether the speaker means steady taking, steady harm, or simply an unchanging habit.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Like the mice aboard a boat: whether it rides the water or sits stuck in the mud, they go on nibbling.