Chinese language vocabulary 汉语词汇 盲人摸象(Mángrénmōxiàng)

Cóngqián, yǒu sì gè mángrén hěn xiǎng zhī dào dàxiàng shì shénme yàngzǐ, kě tāmen kàn bú jiàn, zhī hǎo yòng shǒu mō. Pàng mángrén xiān mō dào le dàxiàng de yáchǐ. Tā jiù shuō:”wǒ zhīdào le, dàxiàng jiù xiàng yí gè yòu dà, yòu cū, yòu guānghuá de dà luóbo.” Gāo gèzǐ mángrén mō dào de shì dàxiàng de ěrduǒ.” bú duì, bú duì, dàxiàng míng míng shì yì bǎ dà shànzǐ!” Tā dà jiào qǐ lái.” Dàxiàng zhī shì gēn dà zhùzǐ.” ǎi gèzǐ mángrén mō zhe dàxiàng de tuǐ shuō dào. Nà wèi niánlǎo de mángrén què shuō:” āi, dàxiàng nǎ yǒu nà me dà ，tā zhī bú guò shì yì gēn shéngzǐ.” Sì gè mángrén búduàn zhēngchǎo, dōu shuō zìjǐ mō dào de cái shì zhēnzhèng dàxiàng de yàngzǐ. ér shíjì shàng ne? Tāmen yí gè yě méi shuō duì.
从前，有四个盲人很想知道大象是什么样子，可他们看不见，只好用手摸。胖盲人先摸到了大象的牙齿。他就说：“我知道了，大象就像一个又大、又粗、又光滑的 大萝卜。”高个子盲人摸到的是大象的耳朵。“不对，不对，大象明明是一把大扇子！”他大叫起来。“大象只是根大柱子。”矮个子盲人摸着大象的腿说道。那位 年老的盲人却说：“唉，大象哪有那么大，它只不过是一根绳子。”四个盲人不断争吵，都说自己摸到的才是真正大象的样子。而实际上呢？他们一个也没说对。

once upon a time, there were four blind men who very much wished to know what an elephant looked like, but, being blind, could do nothing but feel it with their hands. The fat blind man, reaching out with his hand, first felt the elephant's tusk, and said, "I got it, the elephant is like a great, thick, smooth radish." The tall blind man's hand first touched the elephant's ear, and he shouted, "No, no, the elephant is clearly like a great fan!" "The elephant is just a big pillar," said the short blind man, as he felt the elephant's leg. But the old blind man said, "Huh? The elephant is not so big, because, it's nothing more than a length of rope." The four blind men quarreled without end, all insisting that the part they had felt was the true shape of an elephant. But in reality ? None of them were right.

Words：
盲人：(mángrén) n.: blind person
大象：(dàxiàng) n.: elephant
摸：(mō) v.: touch; feel out
扇子：(shànzi) n.: fan
不断：(búduàn) adv.: ceaselessly
争吵：(zhēngchǎo) v.: quarrel
柱子：(zhùzi) n.: pillar
绳子：(shéngzi) n.: rope

Meanings：

盲人摸象："盲人摸象"的寓意是不能只看到事物的一部分,而应看全局才能了解事物的全面和真实情况。寓言讽刺目光短浅、以偏概全的人。

The moral of the story of "盲人摸象" is that one must not only see a part of something, but must take in the entirety of a situation in order to understand it truly and completely. The allegory mocks shortsighted people who mistake a part for the whole.

Sentences：

1) Xiàng nǐ zhèyàng dōng dú yì diǎn, xī bèi yì diǎn dì jì dāncí, jiù xiàng mángrén mō xiàng, shì xué bù hǎo yīngyǔ de.
像你这样东读一点,西背一点地记单词,就像盲人摸象,是学不好英语的。

If you just read a little here and memorize a few words there, it's like "盲人摸象", and you'll never learn English well.

2) Zuò diàochá de shíhòu, rúguǒ zhī diàochá dānyī de fāngmiàn, hǎoxiàng mángrén mōxiàng, jiù yǒngyuǎn yě bù néng zhǎngwò wèntí de quánmào.
做调查的时候，如果只调查单一的方面，好像盲人摸象，就永远也不能掌握问题的全貌。

When conducting investigation, to only investigate one aspect is like "盲人摸象"; one will never be able to grasp the whole picture.

3)Bù liáojiě shìqíng de qiányīn hòuguǒ, zǒng shì qù cāicè, jiù xiàng mángrén mōxiàng, jiě jué bù le wèntí.
不了解事情的前因后果，总是去猜测，就像盲人摸象，解决不了问题。

Without finding cause and effect for something and always guessing is like "盲人摸象", and one will not solve the problem.