从前,有四个人,眼睛都看不见。
Long ago, there were four men whose eyes could not see.
他们想知道大象是什么样子。
They wanted to know what an elephant looks like.
他们只能用手摸。
They could only touch it with their hands.
第一个人摸到牙齿:“大象像萝卜!”
The first man touched a tusk: "An elephant is like a radish!"
第二个人摸到耳朵:“大象像扇子!”
The second man touched an ear: "An elephant is like a fan!"
第三个人摸到腿:“大象像大树!”
The third man touched a leg: "An elephant is like a big tree!"
第四个人摸到尾巴:“大象像绳子!”
The fourth man touched the tail: "An elephant is like a rope!"
四个人都说自己对,吵了起来。
All four said they were right and started to argue.
其实,他们都错了。
In fact, they were all wrong.
每个人只摸到了一点点。
Each of them had only touched one little part.
这个成语是“盲人摸象”。
This idiom is "blind men touching an elephant."
意思是:只看到一点,就觉得都知道了。
It means: you see only a little, but think you know it all.
小明只看了一页书,就说这本书不好,真是盲人摸象。
Xiao Ming read only one page and said the book was bad — truly blind men touching an elephant.
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 从前 | cóng qián | in the past; once upon a time |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is, there are |
| 四 | sì | four |
| 个人 | gè rén | individual; personal |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye |
| 都 | dōu | all; both |
| 看不见 | kàn bù jiàn | cannot see; cannot be seen; invisible |
| 他们 | tā men | they |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think; to want |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to be aware |
| 大象 | dà xiàng | elephant |
| 是 | shì | to be; correct |
| 什么 | shén me | what |
| 样子 | yàng zi | appearance; look |
| 只能 | zhǐ néng | can only; must |
| 用手 | yòng shǒu | to use one’s hands |
| 摸 | mō | to touch; to feel |
| 第 | dì | prefix for ordinal numbers |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 摸到 | mō dào | to touch; to feel |
| 牙齿 | yá chǐ | tooth; dental |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; like |
| 萝卜 | luó bo | radish (esp. white radish) |
| 第二个人 | dì èr ge rén | the second person; (fig.) someone else; third party |
| 耳朵 | ěr duo | ear (also used for a cup’s handle) |
| 扇子 | shàn zi | a fan |
| 第三个 | dì sān gè | the third one |
| 人 | rén | person; people |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg |
| 大树 | dà shù | Big tree |
| 第四个 | dì sì gè | the fourth one |
| 尾巴 | wěi ba | tail |
| 绳子 | shéng zi | cord; string; rope |
| 说 | shuō | to speak; to say |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; one's own |
| 对 | duì | right; correct |
| 吵 | chǎo | noisy; to quarrel |
| 了 | le | (particle indicating completed action or change of state) |
| 起来 | qǐ lai | to rise; to get up |
| 其实 | qí shí | actually |
| 错了 | cuò le | to be wrong |
| 每个人 | měi ge rén | everybody; everyone |
| 只 | zhǐ | only; just |
| 摸到了 | mō dào le | to have touched; to feel (successfully by touch) |
| 一点点 | yī diǎn diǎn | a little bit |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 成语 | chéng yǔ | idiom; set expression |
| 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[da4 ban1 Nie4 pan2 jing1]) |
| 意思 | yì si | meaning; idea |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 一点 | yī diǎn | a bit; a little; (in negative sentences) not at all; one o'clock |
| 就 | jiù | then; just; precisely |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think; to feel |
| 知道了 | zhī dào le | OK!; Got it! |
| 小明 | xiǎo míng | A common Chinese name for a boy |
| 看了 | kàn le | looked at; watched; read (completed action) |
| 一 | yī | one |
| 页 | yè | page |
| 书 | shū | book |
| 这 | zhè | this |
| 本 | běn | classifier for books; this; original |
| 不好 | bù hǎo | no good |
| 真是 | zhēn shi | indeed; truly; (coll.) (used to express disapproval, annoyance etc) |