井底之蛙 Jĭngdĭzhīwā

井底之蛙

Jĭngdĭzhīwā

To be a person with a very limited outlook

一口废井里住着一只青蛙。有一天，青蛙在井边碰上了一只
Yì kŏu fèi jĭng lĭ zhùzhe yì zhī qīngwā. Yŏu yì tiān, qīngwā zài jĭngbiān pèng shàng le yì zhī
从海里来的大龟，就对海龟夸口说：“你看，我住在这里多快乐！我
cóng háilĭ lái de dàguī, jiù duì hăiguī kuākŏu shuō:"nĭ kàn, wŏ zhù zài zhèlĭ duō kuàilè! Wŏ
是这个井里的主人，自由自在，你为什么不常到井里来呢！”海龟听
shì zhè ge jĭnglĭ de zhŭrén, zìyóuzìzai, nĭ wèishénme bù cháng dào jĭnglĭ lái ne!" Hăiguī tīng
了青蛙的话，倒真想进去看看。但它的左脚还没有整个伸
le qīngwā de huà, dăo zhēn xiăng jìnqù kànkan. Dàn tā de zuŏjiăo hái méi yŏu zhĕnggè shēn
进去，右脚就已经绊住了。它连忙后退了两步，对青蛙说：“你看
jìnqù, yòujiăo jiù yĭjīng bàn zhù le. Tā liánmáng hòutuì le liăng bù, duì qīngwā shuō:"nĭ kàn
过海吗？大海广阔无垠，比你这里大多了，住在那里，才是真的快乐
guò hăi ma? Dàhăi guăngkuòwúyín, bĭ nĭ zhèlĭ dà duō le, zhù zài nàlĭ, cáishì zhēn de kuàilè
呢！” 青蛙听了海龟的一番话，吃惊地呆在那里，再没有话可说了。
ne!" Qīngwā tīng le hăiguī de yì fān huà, chījīng de dāi zài nàlĭ, zài méiyŏu huà kĕ shuō le.

English Translation
once upon a time, 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, so the turtle didn't fit through the opening. Then, he said to the frog:"Have you ever seen the ocean? It is quite vast, and you would truly be happy if you lived there." Upon hearing this, the frog was so surprised he just stood there speechless. Nowadays, this idiom is usually used to describe people who are not only short-sighted, but also complacent.

Example
井底之蛙，永远看不到天空的广阔，“好男儿志在四方”，让我们踏歌而行，看高高的灯塔照亮我们远航的路。
Jĭngdĭzhīwā, yóngyuăn kàn bú dào tiānkōng de guăngkuò, "hăonánér zhì zài sìfāng," ràng wŏmen tàgē'érxíng, kàn gāogāo de dēngtă zhàoliàng wŏmen yuănháng de lù.
The frog at the bottom of the well is always blind to the vastness of the sky. "Ambitious men aim for the stars." So let us lift our voices as we go forward on our long voyage, with a tall beacon lighting the way.