目无全牛

Pronunciation: mù wú quán niú
Literal meaning: Eyes see no whole ox

Origin & Usage

This idiom comes from the Zhuangzi's famous story of butcher Ding, whose eyes (目) no longer saw (无) the whole (全) ox (牛) but rather the spaces between its joints. After years of practice, his knife moved effortlessly through these spaces, never touching bone or tendon. The story illustrates how deep expertise transforms perception - the master sees not the surface appearance but the underlying structure. While originally about craftsmanship, it evolved to describe any profound understanding that transcends surface appearance. Modern usage spans fields from scientific research to artistic mastery, where experts 'see' patterns invisible to others.

Examples

English: "After decades of practice, the chef could create masterpieces without recipes"

Chinese: 经过几十年的练习，这位厨师可以不用食谱创作出杰作

---

Discover a new Chinese idiom every day with our iOS app.