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葦の髄から天井のぞく (よしのずいからてんじょうのぞく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-ku)
have a narrow view of things ; look at the ceiling through a reed (lit.)
Proverbial expression meaning to have a limited perspective, like trying to see a whole ceiling through a thin reed. Often used critically of someone who judges a large matter from a tiny viewpoint.
葦よし
の
髄ずい
から
天てん
井じょう
の
ぞく
で
は
、
全ぜん
体たい
像ぞう
は
つかめ
ない
。
You can't grasp the big picture if you're looking at the ceiling through a reed.
Similar words 井い の 中なか の 蛙大海かわず、たいかい を 知し らず Both describe a limited perspective, but 葦の髄から天井のぞく emphasizes the narrowness of the viewpoint itself, while 井の中の蛙 focuses on ignorance of the wider world due to a confined environment.
木き を 見み て 森もり を 見み ず Both criticize a narrow focus, but 木を見て森を見ず is about missing the forest for the trees (detail vs. whole), while 葦の髄から天井のぞく is about the physical limitation of the viewpoint.
Etymology A classical Japanese proverb. The image is of trying to see a whole ceiling through the hollow pith of a reed, which gives only a tiny, restricted view. The exact origin is uncertain, but it has been used since at least the Edo period.
