管窥蠡测 — “Peep at the sky through a tube and measure the sea with a shell dipper”
管窥蠡测 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to look at the sky through a bamboo tube and measure the sea with a shell dipper; used to describe having a limited, narrow, or superficial understanding or outlook on things”. Literally, “Peep at the sky through a tube and measure the sea with a shell dipper”.
管窥蠡测 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 管guǎn
- 窥kuī
- 蠡lí
- 测cè
管窥蠡测 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 管窥蠡测
Origin and Story of 管窥蠡测
During the Western Han Dynasty, the talented literary figure Dongfang Shuo often satirized Emperor Wu. Due to this, despite his abilities, he only held minor official posts such as Grand Master of Remonstrance and was not heavily relied upon by Emperor Wu.
He penned 'Answering a Guest's Questions' (答客难) to articulate his feelings of unfulfilled potential.
In this work, he compared himself to figures like Su Qin and Zhang Yi, emphasizing that a person of talent should not 'guān kuī lí cè' (have a narrow and superficial perspective) but should instead pay close attention to their conduct and moral integrity.
Idioms Related to 管窥蠡测
Synonyms of 管窥蠡测
Antonyms of 管窥蠡测
More idioms starting with 管
- guǎn管zhōng中kuī窥tiān天have a narrow or limited perspective
- guǎn管zhōng中kuī窥bào豹see only a small part of a whole
- guǎn管zhòng仲suí随mǎ马Respect and follow predecessors' experience
- guǎn管chéng城zi子traditional Chinese writing brush
- guǎn管chéng城máo毛yǐng颖writing brush
- guǎn管níng宁gē割xí席sever ties with a friend
- guǎn管xián弦fán繁zòu奏grand orchestral performance
- guǎn管tū秃chún唇jiāo焦exhaust oneself writing or speaking
- guǎn管kuī窥zhī之jiàn见a narrow and superficial view
- guǎn管kuī窥zhī之shuō说a narrow and biased view
- guǎn管kuī窥kuāng筐jǔ举narrow and superficial understanding
- guǎn管kuī窥wā蛙jiàn见a very narrow and limited view
Questions about 管窥蠡测
- What does 管窥蠡测 mean?
- 管窥蠡测 (guǎn kuī lí cè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to look at the sky through a bamboo tube and measure the sea with a shell dipper; used to describe having a limited, narrow, or superficial understanding or outlook on things”.
- How do you pronounce 管窥蠡测?
- 管窥蠡测 is pronounced guǎn kuī lí cè in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 管窥蠡测 literally mean?
- Literally, 管窥蠡测 means “Peep at the sky through a tube and measure the sea with a shell dipper”. It is used to mean “to look at the sky through a bamboo tube and measure the sea with a shell dipper; used to describe having a limited, narrow, or superficial understanding or outlook on things”.
- Where does 管窥蠡测 come from?
- 管窥蠡测 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 管窥蠡测?
- 管：竹管；蠡：贝壳做的瓢。从竹管里看天，用瓢测量海水。比喻对事物的观察和了解很狭窄，很片面。