见微知著 See the subtle and know the profound
Explanation
见微知著,意思是见到事物细微的苗头,就能推知其发展趋势。比喻能够根据细微的迹象,推断出事物发展的规律和结果。
Jian Wei Zhi Zhu means to see the subtle and know the profound. It is used to describe the ability to infer the development trend of things from subtle signs.
Origin Story
话说三国时期,诸葛亮奉命北伐。大军驻扎在渭水河畔,对面的曹军人数众多,气势汹汹。诸葛亮料敌如神,但他知道曹军也有弱点:缺箭。于是,他向刘备建议:利用大雾,在渭水之上建造数百只草船,利用曹军的箭来打击曹军。一开始,刘备很怀疑这个计划,但诸葛亮胸有成竹,向刘备解释说,他知道曹军用兵谨慎,但他们也有弱点,他可以利用这个弱点。刘备最终同意了这个计划。果然,大雾弥漫,曹军在浓雾中看不清,误以为蜀军来袭,疯狂地向江面射箭。蜀军草船满载而归,收获了十万多支箭。此战蜀军大获全胜。这正是见微知著,诸葛亮从曹军的谨慎中,推测出他们缺箭的弱点,并利用这个弱点取得了胜利。
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang was ordered to launch a northern expedition. His army was stationed on the banks of the Wei River, facing a large and aggressive Cao army. Zhuge Liang, known for his strategic brilliance, knew of the Cao army’s weakness: a shortage of arrows. He proposed to Liu Bei that they use a thick fog to place hundreds of straw boats on the Wei River and use Cao Cao’s arrows to their advantage. At first, Liu Bei doubted this plan, but Zhuge Liang explained he knew of the Cao army's caution, but also of their weakness and how to use it against them. This plan succeeded beyond expectation, as the Cao soldiers, blinded by the fog, shot their arrows wildly toward the river. This story exemplifies "Jian Wei Zhi Zhu". Zhuge Liang predicted their weakness (the lack of arrows) and successfully exploited it to secure victory.
Usage
见微知著常用来形容人具有洞察力,能从细微之处看出事情的本质和发展趋势。
Jian Wei Zhi Zhu is often used to describe a person's insightfulness and ability to see the nature and development trend of things from small details.
Examples
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诸葛亮草船借箭,正是见微知著的体现。
Zhuge Liang caochuan jie jian, zhengshi jian wei zhi zhu de tixian. Cong xi wei zhi chu keyi kan chu quanju de qushi, zhe zhengshi jian wei zhi zhu de daoli.
Zhuge Liang’s borrowing arrows with straw boats is a manifestation of seeing the subtle and knowing the profound.
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从细微之处可以看出全局的趋势,这正是见微知著的道理。
From small details, you can see the trend of the overall situation. This is the meaning of "seeing the subtle and knowing the profound".