20:11, 05/03/2023 Blind People Touch an Elephant | Du Chinese

Du Chinese Lessons / Blind People Touch an Elephant

Blind People Touch an Elephant

Do you know the meaning of the Chinese idiom “Blind People Touch an Elephant”?

Blind People Touch an Elephant

A long long time ago, four blind people wanted to know what an elephant looks like.
But they couldn't see it, and could only touch it with their hands.
The first blind person reached the elephant's teeth.
He said: “I know! The elephant looks like a big radish.”
The second blind person reached the elephant's ears.
He yelled out: “No no, the elephant looks like a big fan!”
“You're both wrong, the elephant is just a large pillar.”
What the third blind person was able to reach was the elephant's leg.
The fourth blind person disagreed, and said: “The elephant isn't that big at all, it's just a rope.”
What he could reach was the elephant's tail.
The four blind people argued endlessly, and they all said the part they reached was the elephant's true appearance.
And in reality? None of them were correct.
“Blind people touch an elephant” teaches us that we shouldn't just look at one part of a problem.
We should look at all of it, and only then can we truly understand the problem.
“Blind people touch an elephant” is an idiomatic expression, and you can say:
“If you don't understand the entire cause of events, then it's just guessing.”
“Just like blind people touching an elephant, you will not be able to understand the problem.”

© Sinamon AB

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