一叶障目
yī yè zhàng mù
to miss the big picture because of a small detail
Character by character
一yī
one
one
叶yè
leaf
leaf
障zhàng
block
block
目mù
eye
eye
Example
只看一次考试的分数就判断一个学生，难免一叶障目。
Judging a pupil by one exam score is bound to miss the bigger picture.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
The full form is 一叶障目，不见泰山: a leaf over your eye hides Mount Tai. It goes back to the ancient book 鹖冠子: 一叶蔽目，不见太山. Said of narrow, short-sighted judgements.
Learn this in Lesson 18 · HSK 5: “小眼镜”越来越多 (Why so many children wear glasses)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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