盲人摸象

mángrénmōxiàng

a group of blind men trying to size up an elephant, each mistaking the part he touches for the whole animal—take a part for the whole

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take a part for the whole

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take a part for the whole

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mang2 ren2 mo1 xiang4

blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra 大般涅槃經, 大般涅盘经, ); fig. unable to see the big picture, to mistake the part for the whole, unable to see the wood for the trees

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盲人摸象

máng rén mō xiàng

make an overall judgement of sth. on the basis of one-sided viewpoint; A blind man feels an elephant, only touching some part of it, and concluding what the elephant is like.; draw a conclusion (make a decision) on the basis of partial understanding; draw a conclusion from incomplete data; like the blind men trying to size up the elephant -- take a part for the whole

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盲人摸象|盲人摸象 [máng rén mō xiàng] ► blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra ↑大般涅槃經|↑大般涅盘经 [dà bān Niè pán jīng]); fig. unable to see the big picture ► to mistake the part for the whole ► unable to see the wood for the trees