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葦の髄から天井を覗く (よしのずいからてんじょうをのぞく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-ku)
have a narrow view of things ; peek at the ceiling through the pith of a reed
idiomatic expression
Idiomatic expression meaning to have a limited perspective, like trying to see a whole ceiling through a tiny reed pith. Often used critically of someone who judges the world from their own narrow experience.
With a way of thinking that's like looking at the ceiling through a reed pith, you can't understand international issues.
Kanji 覗 peep, peek, come in sight 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 idioms criticize a narrow perspective, but 井の中の蛙 focuses on ignorance of the wider world due to a confined environment, while 葦の髄から天井を覗く emphasizes the act of viewing something large through an impossibly small opening.
針はり の 穴あな から 天てん を 覗のぞ く Similar metaphor of looking at something vast through a tiny hole, but 針の穴から天を覗く is less common and more directly about a futile attempt to grasp the whole.
Etymology A Japanese idiom literally meaning 'to peek at the ceiling through the pith of a reed.' The image is of trying to see a broad ceiling through the narrow hollow of a reed stem, symbolizing a limited viewpoint. The exact origin is uncertain, but it belongs to a family of proverbs using small apertures to represent narrow-mindedness.
