諺語 · a single proverb
一葉障目，不見泰山
Simplified: 一叶障目，不见泰山
What does 一葉障目，不見泰山 (yī yè zhàng mù bù jiàn tài shān) mean?
一葉障目，不見泰山 (yī yè zhàng mù bù jiàn tài shān) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one leaf blocks the eye, cannot see Mount Tai." In use it means: A single small obstruction can blind you to the entire big picture. Fixation on a minor detail makes the massive and obvious invisible. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "one leaf blocks the eye, cannot see Mount Tai."
The reading
The leaf is tiny. The mountain is enormous. But the leaf is closer to your eye, and proximity wins. Every petty grievance, every minor slight, every small problem held too close to the face has this power: it makes the mountain disappear. The fix is not removing the leaf. It is holding it at arm's length.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Heguanzi 鶡冠子; also attributed to early Daoist texts
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一葉障目，不見泰山 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一葉障目，不見泰山 (yī yè zhàng mù bù jiàn tài shān) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Heguanzi 鶡冠子; also attributed to early Daoist texts. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 一葉障目，不見泰山?
In Mandarin it is yī yè zhàng mù bù jiàn tài shān. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一葉障目，不見泰山 aloud in Mandarin.