鼠目寸光 shǔ mù cùn guāng short-sighted

Explanation

比喻目光短浅，缺乏远见。

A metaphor for short-sightedness and lack of foresight.

Origin Story

从前，有一个非常短视的人，他只看到眼前的东西，看不到未来。他每天只顾着眼前的蝇头小利，从来不去思考长远发展的问题。有一天，他去集市买东西，看见卖梨的人摆摊，梨堆得满满当当。他毫不犹豫地买了一篮，心想：“今天吃梨，明天再想办法。”结果吃梨后，他却忘记了要计划未来的事情，过着得过且过的生活，最终一事无成。

cóng qián, yǒu yīgè fēicháng duǎnshì de rén, tā zhǐ kàn dào yǎn qián de dōngxi, kàn bù dào wèilái. tā měi tiān zhǐ gùzhe yǎn qián de yíngtóu xiǎolì, cóng lái bù qù sīkǎo chángyuǎn fāzhǎn de wèntí. yǒu yī tiān, tā qù jìshì mǎi dōngxi, kànjiàn mài lí de rén bǎi tān, lí duī de mǎn mándāngdāng. tā háo bù yóuyù de mǎi le yī lán, xīnxiǎng:"jīntiān chī lí, míngtiān zài xiǎng bànfǎ." jiéguǒ chī lí hòu, tā què wàngjìle yào jìhuà wèilái de shìqing, guòzhe déguò qiě guò de shēnghuó, zuìzhōng yīshì wú chéng.

Once upon a time, there was a very short-sighted man. He only saw what was in front of him and not the future. Every day, he only cared about the immediate small profits and never thought about long-term development. One day, he went to the market to buy things and saw a man selling pears piled high. He bought a basket without hesitation, thinking, "I'll eat pears today, and I'll figure things out tomorrow." However, after eating the pears, he forgot to plan for the future and lived a hand-to-mouth life, ultimately achieving nothing.

Usage

常用来形容人目光短浅，缺乏远见。

cháng yòng lái xíngróng rén mùguāng duǎnqiǎn, quēfá yuǎnjiàn

Often used to describe people who are short-sighted and lack foresight.

Examples

• 他鼠目寸光，只顾眼前利益，看不到长远发展。

  ta shǔ mù cùn guāng, zhǐ gù yǎn qián lìyì, kàn bù dào cháng yuǎn fāzhǎn.

  He is short-sighted, only caring about immediate interests and failing to see long-term development.

• 不要鼠目寸光，要着眼于长远发展。

  bú yào shǔ mù cùn guāng, yào zhāo yǎn yú cháng yuǎn fāzhǎn

  Don't be short-sighted; focus on long-term development.

Related Idioms

• 目光如豆

• 短视

Opposite Idioms

• 高瞻远瞩

• 深谋远虑