China Naming Network - Ziwei Dou Shu - What do you mean, a leaf can't see Mount Tai?
What do you mean, a leaf can't see Mount Tai?
"One leaf can't see Mount Tai" means that even if only one leaf is covered by a small barrier, people can't see the towering Mount Tai. "One leaf can't see Mount Tai" is an idiom, which comes from the fables of Han Yu and Li Bai in ancient China. The meaning of this sentence is that even if a small obstacle only covers a leaf, it will make people unable to see the towering Mount Tai, suggesting that a person who is not so objective and fair will make a wrong judgment on the whole thing. Therefore, this idiom is often used in modern times to describe a narrow-minded person who only sees the superficial phenomenon of things and fails to fully and deeply observe and understand the essence of the problem.