Chinese Idiom：井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā)

Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks.

 

If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me. Moreover, I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don't you come often and look around my place?"Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea.

"Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. ln the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea."

After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.

有一只青蛙长年住在一口枯井里。它对自己生活的小天地满意极了，一有机会就要当众吹嘘一番。
有一天，它吃饱了饭，蹲在井栏上正闲得无聊，忽然看见不远处有一只大海鳖在散步。青蛙赶紧扯开嗓门喊了起来：“喂，海鳖兄，请过来，快请过来！”海 鳖爬到枯井旁边。青蛙立刻打开了话匣子：“今天算你运气了，我让你开开眼界，参观一下我的居室。那简直是一座天堂。你大概从来也没有见过这样宽敞的住所 吧？”海鳖探头往井里瞅瞅，只见浅浅的井底积了一汪长满绿苔的泥水，还闻到一股扑鼻的臭味。海鳖皱了皱眉头，赶紧缩回了脑袋。青蛙根本没有注意海鳖的表 情，挺着大肚子继续吹嘘：“住在这儿，我舒服极了！傍晚可以跳到井栏上乘凉；深夜可以钻到井壁的窟窿里睡觉；泡在水里，让水浸着两腋，托住面颊，可以游 泳；跳到泥里，让泥盖没脚背，埋住四足，可以打滚。那些跟头虫、螃蟹、蝌蚪什么的，哪一个能比得上我呢！”青蛙唾沫星儿四溅，越说越得意：“瞧，这一坑 水，这一口井，都属我一个人所有，我爱怎么样就怎么样。这样的乐趣可以算到顶了吧。海鳖兄，你不想进去观光观光吗？”海鳖感到盛情难却，便爬向井口，可是 左腿还没能全部伸进去，右腿的膝盖就被井栏卡住了。海鳖慢慢地退了回来，问青蛙：“你听说过大海没有？”青蛙摇摆头。海鳖说：“大海水天茫茫，无边无际。 用千里不能形容它的辽阔，用万丈不能表明它的深度。传说四千多年以前，大禹做国君的时候，十年九涝，海水没有加深；三千多年以前，商汤统治的年代，八年七 旱，海水也不见减少。海是这样大，以至时间的长短、旱涝的变化都不能使它的水量发生明显的变化。青蛙弟，我就生活在大海中。你看，比起你这一眼枯井、一坑 浅水来，哪个天地更开阔，哪个乐趣更大呢？”青蛙听傻了，鼓着眼睛，半天合不拢嘴。

典出《庄子?秋水》，寓意为宇宙无终极，学识无穷尽。这则寓言告诫人们，千万不要因一孔之见，便洋洋自得，不要因一得之功，便沾沾自喜。

井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā)
【翻译】The Frog in the Shallow Well.
【释义】井底的蛙只能看到井口那么大的一块天，比喻见识短浅，思路狭窄的人。
【例句】做人要有开阔的眼光不能做井底之蛙。
【近义词】一孔之见、坐井观天
【反义词】见多识广