A glimpse of the whole; a small, fragmentary part of a larger entity; scattered and incomplete information or details.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Tang Dynasty, the renowned poet Bai Juyi invited fellow poets Yuan Zhen, Liu Yuxi, and Wei Chu to his home. He suggested they compose poems while enjoying wine, proposing 'Recalling Jinling' as the theme.
However, Liu Yuxi, feeling disheartened by his stalled official career, wrote 'Recalling the West Han Mountain,' a profound poem that reflected on the past while lamenting his present circumstances.
Bai Juyi praised him, saying, 'The four of us went deep-sea treasure hunting. You found the dragon pearl, but we only managed to get 'one scale and half a claw' (一鳞半爪) from the dragon, meaning we only got fragmentary insights compared to your complete masterpiece.'