- English translation
To him, nothing is weighty but burlap and nothing is great but a heap of dirt.
- Literal wording
He has nothing thick except the coarse sacking, and nothing big except the mound.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying targets a person who honors nobody for virtue or knowledge. In his eyes the only thing that counts as thick is the coarsest sacking, and the only thing that counts as big is a mound of earth, so sheer physical mass becomes the sole measure of importance he recognizes.
It works as a reproach rather than a compliment. The person described is faulted for withholding esteem from those who earn it through merit or learning, while reserving any sense of greatness for whatever happens to be merely bulky or massive.
- When it is used
Apply it to someone who shows no regard for other people's merit or knowledge and seems impressed only by size or bulk. It serves as a critical comment on that person's outlook and the disrespect it produces.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: To him, nothing is weighty but burlap and nothing is great but a heap of dirt.