盲人摸象 máng rén mō xiàng

DEFINITIONS

  1. 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
  2. to mistake the part for the whole
  3. unable to see the wood for the trees

CHARACTERS

盲 máng
HSK 6
blind; unperceptive, shortsighted
人 rén
HSK 1
man; people; mankind; someone else
摸 mō
HSK 5
gently touch with hand; caress
象 xiàng
HSK 4
elephant; ivory; figure, image