盲
人
摸
象
m
á
n
g
r
é
n
m
ō
x
i
à
n
g
Definitions
1. blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra 大般涅槃經|大般涅盘经[da4 ban1 Nie4 pan2 jing1]); fig. unable to see the big picture
2. to mistake the part for the whole
3. unable to see the wood for the trees
Components
盲人
máng rén
–
blind person
摸象
mō xiàng
–
to touch an elephant (of proverbial blind people)