盲人摸象

máng rén mō xiàng

Dictionary entry

blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra 大般涅槃經|大般涅盘经[da4 ban1 Nie4 pan2 jing1]); fig. unable to see the big picture

What does 盲人摸象 mean?

盲人摸象 (máng rén mō xiàng) has the following dictionary meaning.

1blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra 大般涅槃經|大般涅盘经[da4 ban1 Nie4 pan2 jing1]); fig. unable to see the big picture

2to mistake the part for the whole

3unable to see the wood for the trees

Character breakdown

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盲mángblind 人rénperson; people · CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2]摸mōto feel with the hand · to touch 象xiàngelephant · CL:隻|只[zhi1]

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 盲人摸象

盲人摸象

máng rén mō xiàng

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.