老鼠拖木锨，大头在后头 lǎo shǔ tuō mù xiān ， dà tóu zài hòu tou

DEFINITIONS

  1. when the mice drag a shovel, the biggest thing comes second
  2. the tip of the iceberg
  3. the cockroach principle

CHARACTERS

老 lǎo
HSK 1
old, aged; experienced
鼠 shǔ
HSK 5
rat, mouse; KangXi radical 208
拖 tuō
HSK 6
drag, tow, haul; delay, prolong
木 mù
HSK 5
tree; wood, lumber; wooden
锨 xiān shovel
大 dà
HSK 1
big, great, vast, large, high
头 tóu
HSK 3
head; top; chief, first; boss
在 zài
HSK 1
be at, in, on; consist in, rest
后 hòu
HSK 1
queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after
头 tou
HSK 3
head; top; chief, first; boss