当局者迷，旁观者清 — “The one involved is confused; the onlooker is clear”
当局者迷，旁观者清 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “those deeply involved in a situation are often confused and unable to see clearly, while observers from the outside have a better and clearer perspective”. Literally, “The one involved is confused; the onlooker is clear”.
当局者迷，旁观者清 Pronunciation and Pinyin
当局者迷，旁观者清 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 当局者迷，旁观者清
Origin and Story of 当局者迷，旁观者清
During the Tang Dynasty, minister Wei Guang petitioned Emperor Xuanzong to elevate Wei Zheng's revised work, 'Lei Li,' to the status of a classic. Emperor Xuanzong then commissioned Yuan Dan to meticulously review the text.
However, Right Chancellor Zhang Yue objected, stating that Zheng Xuan's existing annotations had already established it as a classic.
In response, Yuan Dan composed an essay titled 'Shi Yi' (Explaining Doubts). In his essay, Yuan Dan argued that Zheng Xuan's annotations were outdated.
He cleverly used the analogy of a chess game, explaining that Wei Zheng was not a 'player' (当局者) deeply involved in the original creation, but rather an 'onlooker' (旁观者). This detached perspective, Yuan Dan contended, enabled Wei Zheng to provide more accurate and realistic annotations, perfectly illustrating the principle that 'those involved are confused, while bystanders see clearly.'
Idioms Related to 当局者迷，旁观者清
More idioms starting with 当
- dāng当yī一tiān天hé和shang尚zhuàng撞yī一tiān天zhōng钟do minimum work without enthusiasm
- dāng当shì世cái才dù度outstanding contemporary talent and demeanor
- dāng当shì世wú无shuāng双Unparalleled in the contemporary world
- dāng当wèi为qiū秋shuāng霜，，wú无wéi为kǎn槛yáng羊Be assertive, not a passive follower
- dāng当zhī之wú无kuì愧well-deserved; fully merited
- dāng当zhī之yǒu有kuì愧feel unworthy of the honor
- dāng当rén仁bù不ràng让shoulder a just responsibility without hesitation
- dāng当jīn今zhī之wù务the most pressing matters at hand
- dāng当jīn今wú无bèi辈Unrivaled in the contemporary era
- dāng当xíng刑ér而wáng王endure torment then become king
- dāng当wù务zhī之jí急top priority urgent matter
- dāng当wù务shǐ始zhōng终maintain consistency from beginning to end
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →Questions about 当局者迷，旁观者清
What does 当局者迷，旁观者清 mean?
当局者迷，旁观者清 (dāng jú zhě mí ， páng guān zhě qīng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “those deeply involved in a situation are often confused and unable to see clearly, while observers from the outside have a better and clearer perspective”.
How do you pronounce 当局者迷，旁观者清?
当局者迷，旁观者清 is pronounced dāng jú zhě mí ， páng guān zhě qīng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 当局者迷，旁观者清 literally mean?
Literally, 当局者迷，旁观者清 means “the one involved is confused; the onlooker is clear”. It is used to mean “those deeply involved in a situation are often confused and unable to see clearly, while observers from the outside have a better and clearer perspective”.
Where does 当局者迷，旁观者清 come from?
当局者迷，旁观者清 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 当局者迷，旁观者清?
当局者：下棋的人；旁观者：看棋的人。当事人被碰到的事情搞糊涂了，旁观的人却看得很清楚。