How do you pronounce 窥豹一斑?

窥豹一斑 is pronounced kuī bào yī bān in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 窥豹一斑 literally mean?

Literally, 窥豹一斑 means “Peep at a leopard's one spot”. It is used to mean “to see only a small part of a big picture”.

Where does 窥豹一斑 come from?

窥豹一斑 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 窥豹一斑?

从竹管的小孔里看豹，只看到豹身上的一块斑纹。比喻只看到事物的一部分，指所见不全面或略有所得。

窥豹一斑 — “To see only a small part of a big picture”

窥豹一斑 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to see only a small part of a big picture”. To have a limited or partial understanding of something, without grasping the whole situation. Literally, “Peep at a leopard's one spot”.

Frequency

窥豹一斑 Pronunciation and Pinyin

窥kuī
豹bào
一yī
斑bān

窥豹一斑 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
窥	kuī	13	peep, spy, glance
豹	bào	10	leopard
一	yī	1	one, a, single, whole
斑	bān	12	spot or stripe

Example Sentence with 窥豹一斑

他只看到了这个项目的表面问题，恐怕是窥豹一斑，没有真正理解它的核心挑战。

He only saw the surface issues of this project, which is probably just a glimpse; he hasn't truly understood its core challenges.

Origin and Story of 窥豹一斑

The idiom "Kui Bao Yi Ban" originates from a story about Wang Xianzhi, the son of the renowned calligrapher Wang Xizhi during the Jin Dynasty.

Wang Xianzhi was intelligent and showed great talent in calligraphy and painting from a young age, earning his father's affection.

One day, while his father's friends and disciples were playing a dice game, Wang Xianzhi observed them and remarked, "The south wind is not strong!" (南风不竞), implying one side was losing momentum.

Upon hearing this, one of the disciples chuckled and said, "The child is merely 'peeping at a leopard through a bamboo tube,' only seeing a single spot. His understanding is limited."

Idioms Related to 窥豹一斑

Synonyms of 窥豹一斑

Antonyms of 窥豹一斑

More idioms starting with 窥

Questions about 窥豹一斑

What does 窥豹一斑 mean?: 窥豹一斑 (kuī bào yī bān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to see only a small part of a big picture”.
How do you pronounce 窥豹一斑?: 窥豹一斑 is pronounced kuī bào yī bān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 窥豹一斑 literally mean?: Literally, 窥豹一斑 means “Peep at a leopard's one spot”. It is used to mean “to see only a small part of a big picture”.
Where does 窥豹一斑 come from?: 窥豹一斑 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 窥豹一斑?: 从竹管的小孔里看豹，只看到豹身上的一块斑纹。比喻只看到事物的一部分，指所见不全面或略有所得。

Copy the pinyin for 窥豹一斑 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.