井底之蛙

Pronunciation: jǐng dǐ zhī wā Literal meaning: Frog at well bottom

Origin & Usage

In the Zhuangzi, a frog (蛙) at the bottom (底) of a broken well (井) boasts to a turtle of the Eastern Sea about the water reaching its armpits, the mud covering its feet, and how nothing else in the well can match it. The turtle tries to get in: its left foot is not yet inside before its right knee is wedged fast. It backs out and describes the sea instead — a thousand li does not measure its breadth, a thousand fathoms do not sound its depth. The frog is stunned. The phrase names a horizon mistaken for the world, and Chinese aims it at complacency rather than ignorance.

Examples

English: "Having never worked abroad, the manager's perspective on global markets was severely limited"

Chinese: 从未在国外工作过，这位经理对全球市场的看法非常有限