管中窥豹 guǎn zhōng kuī bào

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to see a leopard through a narrow tube (idiom); fig. to miss the big picture

CHARACTERS

管 guǎn pipe, tube, duct; woodwind music
中 zhōng central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain
窥 kuī peep, watch, spy on, pry
豹 bào leopard, panther; surname