see the forest for the trees

English

Alternative forms

• see the forest through the trees
• see the wood for the trees

Verb

to see the forest for the trees

1. (idiomatic) To discern an overall pattern from a mass of detail; to see the big picture, or the broader, more general situation.

   Smith is good at detail, but can't see the forest for the trees.

Usage notes

• As demonstrated by the example sentence above, it is used in negative constructions, often starting with can't or couldn't.

Translations

to discern overall pattern from details

Finnish: nähdä metsä puilta (fi)

German: den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht sehen (de)

See also

• gestalt
• gist