- English translation
The mouse couldn't even fit into its hole, so they tied a big rock to its tail.
- Literal wording
A mouse its crack did not hold; they hung on its tail a long heavy stone.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pokes fun at a foolish remedy: when something is already too narrow or overloaded to cope, people make it bigger or heavier instead of easing the strain. A mouse that cannot squeeze into its own burrow has no chance once a long, heavy rock hangs from its tail.
More broadly, it describes compounding a problem through the very action meant to address it. Where room or capacity is clearly insufficient, adding fresh demands only deepens the difficulty.
- When it is used
Use it wryly when someone responds to a cramped or overloaded situation by piling on more, such as adding tasks to an already impossible schedule or stuffing extra items into a full space. It critiques the decision-maker's poor judgment rather than the sufferer.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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