盲人摸象

Chinese

		blind person	feel with the hand; to touch; to stroke feel with the hand; to touch; to stroke; to grope; to feel (one's pulse); imitate; copy	shape; form; appearance shape; form; appearance; elephant; image under a map (maths)
trad. (盲人摸象)		盲人	摸	象
simp. ^#(盲人摸象)		盲人	摸	象
Literally: “The blind man touches some parts of an elephant (and concludes what an elephant looks like).”

Etymology

From Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra. See Blind men and an elephant.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): mángrénmōxiàng

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄤˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄇㄛㄒㄧㄤˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): maang⁴ jan⁴ mo² zoeng⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: mángrénmōxiàng
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄤˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄇㄛㄒㄧㄤˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: mángrénmosiàng
  - Wade–Giles: mang²-jên²-mo¹-hsiang⁴
  - Yale: máng-rén-mwō-syàng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mangrenmhoshianq
  - Palladius: манжэньмосян (manžɛnʹmosjan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɑŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: maang⁴ jan⁴ mo² zoeng⁶
  - Yale: màahng yàhn mó jeuhng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: maang⁴ jan⁴ mo² dzoeng⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: mang⁴ yen⁴ mo² zêng⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /maːŋ²¹ jɐn²¹ mɔː³⁵ t͡sœːŋ²²/

Idiom

盲人摸象

(figurative) to draw (incorrect) conclusions from partial understanding

Synonyms

瞎子摸象 (xiāzimōxiàng)
眾盲摸象／众盲摸象

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.