చెరువు పొంగి, ఊరు పాడు

cheruvu pongi, uru padu

Translation

The pond overflows, and the village is ruined.

Meaning

This expression describes a situation where something meant to be a resource or a blessing (like a water tank) becomes a source of destruction due to excess or lack of management. It is used to describe scenarios where an abundance of something leads to unintended negative consequences or when a protector turns into a destroyer.

Related Phrases

If you have a mouth, you have a village.

This proverb emphasizes that if one has effective communication skills or the ability to speak up, they can survive and thrive anywhere. It highlights that being vocal and persuasive helps a person find support, resources, and a place in society.

Leaving the pond and catching the canal instead.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone abandons a stable, abundant, or primary source of resources (the pond) in favor of a temporary, narrow, or unreliable source (the canal). It highlights poor decision-making where one trades a greater benefit for a lesser one.

When the tank fills, the frogs assemble.

This proverb is used to describe how people naturally flock to someone who is wealthy, powerful, or successful. Just as frogs gather at a filled pond without an invitation, opportunists and fair-weather friends appear when one has resources or prosperity.

Like cutting off someone's ears and then distributing fish.

This expression describes a situation where someone causes a person a significant loss or injury, and then tries to compensate for it with something trivial or irrelevant. It highlights the absurdity of offering a small, useless favor after causing irreversible damage.

If there is water, there is no village; if there is a village, there is no water.

This proverb is used to describe a state of poor planning, irony, or chronic lack of resources. It refers to a situation where essential elements are never present at the same time or place, making it impossible to settle or succeed. It highlights a mismatch between needs and available resources.

Like a crane being angry with the pond.

This proverb describes a situation where someone's anger or boycott only harms themselves and doesn't affect the target at all. Just as a crane losing its temper and leaving a pond doesn't affect the pond (but the crane loses its food source), this expression is used when a person's protest is futile and self-defeating.

A free water kiosk in front of a lake?

This expression is used to describe something that is redundant, unnecessary, or redundant. Just as it is pointless to set up a small water-donating stall (chalivendram) right in front of a massive lake, it refers to offering a small or inferior version of something to someone who already has an abundance of it.

If it stays, it is a village; if it is gone, it is a ruin.

This expression refers to things that are valuable only as long as they are functional or maintained. It is often used to describe the fragility of human life or temporary possessions, implying that once the essence or life is gone, only a useless shell remains.

The pond longs for water, and the water longs for the pond.

This expression describes a mutually beneficial or codependent relationship where two entities need each other to exist or fulfill their purpose. It is used to illustrate situations where both parties are equally dependent on one another, much like how a pond is just a pit without water, and water needs a container to stay gathered.

When the pond dries up, the fish are revealed.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where secrets or hidden truths come to light when a protective cover or a source of support disappears. It can also imply that when a person's resources or power vanish, their true nature or past actions become visible to everyone.