see the forest for the trees
English
Alternative forms
- see the wood for the trees
- see the forest but for the trees
- see the forest through the trees (very rare)
- see the trees through the forest (very rare)
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
John Heywood documented the English use of the proverb in 1546.[1]
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Verb
see the forest for the trees (third-person singular simple present sees the forest for the trees, present participle seeing the forest for the trees, simple past saw the forest for the trees, past participle seen the forest for the trees)
- (idiomatic) To discern an overall pattern from a mass of detail; to see the big picture, or the broader, more general situation.
- (idiomatic, in the negative, by extension) To be overwhelmed by detail to the point where it obscures the overall situation.
- Smith is good at detail, but can't see the forest for the trees.
Usage notes
- This is almost always used in negative constructions, often starting with can't, as it is a negative polarity item.
- The portion "forest for the tree" may seem grammatically nonsensical to modern speakers and learners who are not familiar with, or expecting, the Old English meaning of for (especially outside of an Old English context).
- This older usage of for means "because of" or "due to", also found in "for want of a nail". The idiom may be more readily parsed today in the form [can't] see the forest, but for the trees.
Translations
to discern overall pattern from details
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to be overwhelmed by detail to the point where it obscures the overall situation
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