CHENGYU
井底之蛙(jǐng dǐ zhī wā)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《庄子·秋水》
MEANING
- Literal
- a frog at the bottom of a well
- Figurative meaning
- a person of narrow vision; someone who knows only their small corner of the world
ORIGIN STORY
In the Zhuangzi, a well frog bragged that his little well was the whole world, until a sea turtle told him of the vast ocean beyond.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“someone with tunnel vision”
EXAMPLES
我们要多看看世界，不能做井底之蛙。Wǒmen yào duō kànkan shìjiè, bù néng zuò jǐng dǐ zhī wā.HSK6
We should see more of the world and not be like a frog at the bottom of a well.
他不知道外面的世界多大，真是井底之蛙。Tā bù zhīdào wàimiàn de shìjiè duō dà, zhēn shì jǐng dǐ zhī wā.HSK6
He has no idea how big the world is — a real frog in a well.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Used to criticize narrow-mindedness; do not apply it to someone who simply lacks information.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
井jǐngwell
底dǐbottom
之zhīof
蛙wāfrog
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01