盲人摸象

maang4 jan4 mo2 zoeng6

blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra 大般涅槃經|大般涅盘经[da4 ban1 Nie4 pan2 jing1]{daai6 bun1 nip6 pun4 ging1}); fig. unable to see the big picture · to mistake the part for the whole · unable to see the wood for the trees

Meanings

  1. blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra 大般涅槃經|大般涅盘经[da4 ban1 Nie4 pan2 jing1]{daai6 bun1 nip6 pun4 ging1}); fig. unable to see the big picture
  2. to mistake the part for the whole
  3. unable to see the wood for the trees

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