Charlie @ Discovering Mandarin
Saturday, 10 October 2009
This Chinese proverb relates to how one can be narrow sighted and even complacent. Nowadays it is used more widely to describe someone who is ignorant of the things around them.
井底之蛙 jǐng dǐ zhī wā Frog in a well
It is told, that a sea turtle came upon a frog that lived in an old abandoned well. Upon seeing the turtle, the frog boasted: “Look, I am happy and completely at ease here. Why don’t you come down and join me?" The turtle tried, but the well was too small, the turtle couldn’t fit through the opening.
Then, he said to the frog: “Have you ever seen the ocean? It is vast, and you would truly be happy if you lived there." Upon hearing this, the frog was so surprised he just stood there speechless