- English translation
The little wooden box kept hunting about for its lid until the two came together.
- Literal wording
The small box went round in search of its cover, until it met it.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is a small wooden container, not a jar or pot, roaming about until it meets its own fitted cover. A box and its lid are made for each other, so their meeting marks the joining of two parts that naturally belong together.
Applied to people or things, it says that someone has found a counterpart of the same kind. Two readings remain open: it may approve a fitting match, or it may remark wryly that two equally flawed parties have found each other.
- When it is used
Suitable for remarking that two people or things have ended up together after one sought out the other. Because the tone may be approving or mocking, let the surrounding situation signal the intended attitude rather than assuming the remark is praise.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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