Definition
坐井观天 is a Chengyu (four-character idiom) that literally means 'sit in a well and look at the sky'. It describes someone whose perspective is very narrow because they are stuck in a limited environment, like the frog in the fable that thought the well was the whole world. You use it to criticize narrow-mindedness or lack of broader understanding.
id.
to have tunnel visionto be narrow-minded and ignorant due to limited experience
Examples
- ,坐井观天。Tā zǒng yǐwéi zìjǐ shì duì de, zhēn shì zuò jǐng guān tiān.He always thinks he's right — truly a case of sitting in a well and looking at the sky.
- ,坐井观天。Rúguǒ bú qù liǎojiě shìjiè, jiù huì xiàng zuò jǐng guān tiān yíyàng kěxiào.If you don't learn about the world, you'll be as ridiculous as someone sitting in a well and looking at the sky.
- ,坐井观天。Zhè jiā gōngsī zhǐ guānzhù běndì shìchǎng, wèimiǎn zuò jǐng guān tiān le.This company only focuses on the local market — that's rather narrow-minded.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.