一叶障目，不见泰山 — “A single leaf blocks the view, failing to see Mount Tai”
一叶障目，不见泰山 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so preoccupied with a single detail or partial view that one fails to see the bigger picture or overall situation; to be blinded by a triviality and thus miss the main point”. Literally, “A single leaf blocks the view, failing to see Mount Tai”.
一叶障目，不见泰山 Pronunciation and Pinyin
一叶障目，不见泰山 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 一叶障目，不见泰山
Origin and Story of 一叶障目，不见泰山
In the ancient state of Chu, there lived a poor scholar who earnestly sought a way to get rich. He read a book that stated: "Whoever obtains the leaf a mantis uses to hide itself while catching a cicada will become invisible to others." Believing this to be true, he spent his days looking up at the trees.
Lo and behold! He finally spotted a mantis hiding behind a leaf, poised to catch a cicada! He quickly plucked that leaf. Unexpectedly, the leaf fell and got mixed with the fallen leaves on the ground, becoming indistinguishable.
He had no choice but to sweep all the fallen leaves home and try them one by one. He held a leaf over his eyes and asked his wife, "Can you see me?" His wife always replied, "Yes, I can!"
Eventually, annoyed by his constant questioning, his wife casually answered, "No, I can't!" Immediately, he took that leaf and went to openly take things from people, only to be seized and taken to the magistrate's office.
After interrogation, the county magistrate, suppressing a laugh, said, "You are truly 'blinded by a single leaf, failing to see Mount Tai'!"
Idioms Related to 一叶障目，不见泰山
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- yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
- yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
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- yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
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- yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
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Open the tool →Questions about 一叶障目，不见泰山
What does 一叶障目，不见泰山 mean?
一叶障目，不见泰山 (yī yè zhàng mù ， bù jiàn tài shān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be so preoccupied with a single detail or partial view that one fails to see the bigger picture or overall situation; to be blinded by a triviality and thus miss the main point”.
How do you pronounce 一叶障目，不见泰山?
一叶障目，不见泰山 is pronounced yī yè zhàng mù ， bù jiàn tài shān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 一叶障目，不见泰山 literally mean?
Literally, 一叶障目，不见泰山 means “a single leaf blocks the view, failing to see Mount Tai”. It is used to mean “to be so preoccupied with a single detail or partial view that one fails to see the bigger picture or overall situation; to be blinded by a triviality and thus miss the main point”.
Where does 一叶障目，不见泰山 come from?
一叶障目，不见泰山 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 一叶障目，不见泰山?
蔽：遮。一片树叶挡住了眼睛，连面前高大的泰山都看不见。比喻为局部现象所迷惑，看不到全局或整体。