管中窥豹 guǎn zhōng kuī bào Peeking at a leopard through a bamboo pipe

Explanation

比喻只看到事物的一部分，缺乏全面了解。

A metaphor for only seeing a part of a thing and lacking a comprehensive understanding.

Origin Story

晋朝时，著名书法家王羲之的儿子王献之，从小就展现出过人的天赋，尤其擅长书法和绘画。一次，王献之在父亲朋友家做客，看到几个大人在玩骰子。他饶有兴致地在一旁观看，突然冒出一句：“南风不竞！”在场的宾客们都笑了起来，一位老先生笑着说：“小孩子真是管中窥豹，只看到其中的一点皮毛而已！”王献之虽然年幼，却天资聪颖，这句“南风不竞”并非随口胡说，而是他根据骰子上的点数，推断出某种规律，展现了他对事物敏锐的观察力。然而，相对于整个骰子游戏复杂多变的规律而言，他的观察仍然局限于局部。这位老先生点出了这个道理，说明看问题不能只看到表面现象，更要透过现象看本质，全面深入地了解事物。

jìn cháo shí, zhùmíng shūfājiā wáng xī zhī de érzi wáng xiàn zhī, cóng xiǎo jiù zhǎnxian chū guòrén de tiānfù, yóuqí shàncháng shūfǎ hé huìhuà。yīcì, wáng xiàn zhī zài fùqīn péngyǒu jiā zuò kè, kàndào jǐ ge dàrén zài wán shǎizi。tā ráo yǒu xìngzhì de zài yī páng guān kàn, tūrán mào chū yījù：“nánfēng bù jìng！”zaì chǎng de bīn kè men dōu xiào le qǐlái, yī wèi lǎo xiānshēng xiàozhe shuō：“xiǎoháizi zhēnshi guǎn zhōng kuī bào, zhǐ kàndào qízhōng de yī diǎn pí máo éryǐ！”wáng xiàn zhī suīrán niányòu, què tiānzī cōngyǐng, zhè jù “nánfēng bù jìng” bìngfēi suí kǒu hú shuō, érshì tā gēnjù shǎizi shàng de diǎnshù, tuīduàn chū mǒu zhǒng guīlǜ, zhǎnxian le tā duì shìwù mǐnruì de guānchá lì。rán'ér, xiāngduì yú zhěngge shǎizi yóuxì fùzá duōbiàn de guīlǜ ér yán, tā de guānchá réngrán júxiàn yú júbù。zhè wèi lǎo xiānshēng diǎn chū le zhège dàolǐ, shuōmíng kàn wèntí bù néng zhǐ kàndào biǎomiàn xiànxiàng, gèng yào tòuguò xiànxiàng kàn běnzhì, quánmiàn shēnrù de liǎojiě shìwù。

During the Jin Dynasty, Wang Xianzhi, the son of the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi, showed extraordinary talent from a young age, especially in calligraphy and painting. Once, Wang Xianzhi was visiting the home of his father's friend and saw several adults playing dice. He watched with great interest and suddenly blurted out, "The south wind is not in competition!" The guests present all laughed, and an older gentleman said with a smile, "Children only see a part of the picture, like looking at a leopard through a bamboo pipe!" Although Wang Xianzhi was young, he possessed a keen mind, and his remark, "The south wind is not in competition!" was not a careless remark, but a deduction he had made based on the dice points, showing his sharp observational skills. However, compared to the complex and ever-changing nature of the dice game, his observation was still limited to a portion. The older gentleman brought this point to his attention, explaining that when observing a problem, one should consider not only the surface phenomena, but also the underlying causes, and understand the matter comprehensively and thoroughly.

Usage

形容对事物认识不全面或理解不透彻。

xióngróng duì shìwù rènshi bù quánmiàn huò lǐjiě bù tòuchè

describes an incomplete or superficial understanding of something.

Examples

• 你这样看问题太片面了，简直是管中窥豹！

  nǐ zhèyàng kàn wèntí tài piànmiàn le, jiǎnzhí shì guǎn zhōng kuī bào!

  Your perspective is too narrow-minded; it's like looking at a leopard through a bamboo pipe!

• 他对这个领域的了解只是管中窥豹，还需要进一步深入研究。

  tā duì zhège lìngyù de liǎojiě zhǐshì guǎn zhōng kuī bào, hái xūyào jìnxù shēnrù yánjiū。

  His understanding of this field is just a glimpse; further in-depth study is needed.

Related Idioms

• 窥豹一斑

• 管窥蠡测

• 以管窥天

Opposite Idioms

• 洞若观火

• 一目了然