blinded by a narrow view; fail to see the big picture
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
to be blinded by a single leaf; to fail to see the bigger picture due to narrow perspective
neutralDerived from Han Feizi (韩非子): "一叶蔽目，不见泰山；两豆塞耳，不闻雷鸣。" Note: The character 障 (zhàng) is often used interchangeably with 蔽 (bì, to cover) in this idiom, though 一叶障目 is the more common modern form. Often used in the full form 一叶障目，不见泰山。
Zuò做
jué决
cè策
shí时
rú如
guǒ果
yī一
yè叶
zhàng障
mù目
，
jiù就
huì会
fàn犯
xià下
dà大
cuò错
。
If you fail to see the big picture when making decisions, you will make serious mistakes.
Wǒ我
men们
bù不
néng能
yī一
yè叶
zhàng障
mù目
，
bù不
jiàn见
tài泰
shān山
，
yào要
kàn看
dào到
quán全
jú局
。
We must not be blinded by a single leaf and fail to see Mount Tai; we must look at the whole situation.
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Yán研
jiū究
wèn问
tí题
yào要
quán全
miàn面
，
bù不
néng能
yī一
yè叶
zhàng障
mù目
。
When studying a problem, one must be comprehensive and not be blinded by narrow perspectives.
Tā他
bèi被
yǎn眼
qián前
de的
lì利
yì益
yī一
yè叶
zhàng障
mù目
，
kàn看
bù不
dào到
cháng长
yuǎn远
de的
fēng风
xiǎn险
。
He was blinded by immediate gains and failed to see the long-term risks.