井の中の蛙大海を知らず

Japanese

Kanji in this term
井	中	蛙	大	海	知

Etymology

Literary Chinese, 井鼃不可以語於海者，拘於虛也。 (A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean.), Zhuangzi.

Modern Chinese 井底之蛙.

Proverb

井の中の蛙大海を知らず (hiragana いのなかのかわずたいかいをしらず, romaji i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu)

1. metaphor of a narrow world view based on limited experience (literally, "a frog in a well does not know the great ocean")
   • 2006, 下 健, 言葉と生きる, 新風舎, page 23,

     また、私たちは往々にしてほんの少し周囲の人たちより良い結果がでると、有頂天になって自慢したいような気持ちになりがちです。

     まさに『井の中の蛙大海を知らず』で恥ずかしい話であります。

     mata, watashitachi wa ōō ni shite hon no sukoshi shūi no hitotachi yori yoi kekka ga deru to, uchōten ni natte jiman shitai yō na kimochi ni narigachi desu.

     masa ni "i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu" de hazukashii hanashi de arimasu.

     We are also prone to feel proud of ourselves and feel like bragging when we get a result that is just a little bit better than that of the others around us.

     This is indeed a case of "a frog in a well does not know the great ocean" and is an embarrassing state of affairs.

Derived terms

• 井の中の蛙

See also

• (Chinese) 井底之蛙