Chinese Fable

井底之蛙🔊

Jǐng Dǐ Zhī Wā
📚 Fables⏱ 3 min read🎧 Audio

This fable describes someone with a very limited perspective on the world.

The Story 🔊

Yǒu yì zhī qīngwā yìzhí zhù zài yì kǒu kū jǐng lǐ
Yǒu🔊一只yì zhī🔊青蛙qīngwā🔊一直yìzhí🔊住在zhù zài🔊一口yì kǒu🔊枯井里kū jǐng lǐ🔊
Tā duì Dōng Hǎi lái de hǎiguī kuākǒu shuō nǐ kàn wǒ duō kuàilè
🔊duì🔊东海来的Dōng Hǎi lái de🔊海龟hǎiguī🔊夸口说kuākǒu shuō🔊你看nǐ kàn🔊🔊多快乐duō kuàilè🔊
Wǒ xiǎng chūqù jiù chūqù xiǎng huílái jiù huílái zhěng kǒu jǐng dōu shì wǒ de
🔊想出去xiǎng chūqù🔊就出去jiù chūqù🔊想回来xiǎng huílái🔊就回来jiù huílái🔊整口井zhěng kǒu jǐng🔊都是dōu shì🔊我的wǒ de🔊
Hǎiguī xiǎng jìnqù kàn kan dànshì jǐngkǒu tài xiǎo le gēnběn jìn bù qù
海龟Hǎiguī🔊想进去xiǎng jìnqù🔊看看kàn kan🔊但是dànshì🔊井口jǐngkǒu🔊太小了tài xiǎo le🔊根本gēnběn🔊进不去jìn bù qù🔊
Hǎiguī duì qīngwā shuō nǐ jiànguo dàhǎi ma
海龟Hǎiguī🔊duì🔊青蛙qīngwā🔊shuō🔊🔊见过jiànguo🔊大海吗dàhǎi ma🔊
Dōng Hǎi wú biān wú jì qiānlǐ zhī yuǎn yě bù zúyǐ xíngróng tā de liáokuò
东海Dōng Hǎi🔊无边无际wú biān wú jì🔊千里之远qiānlǐ zhī yuǎn🔊🔊不足以bù zúyǐ🔊形容xíngróng🔊它的tā de🔊辽阔liáokuò🔊
Qīngwā tīng le fēicháng jīngyà tā cónglái bù zhīdào wàimiàn de shìjiè zhème dà
青蛙Qīngwā🔊听了tīng le🔊非常fēicháng🔊惊讶jīngyà🔊🔊从来cónglái🔊不知道bù zhīdào🔊外面的wàimiàn de🔊世界shìjiè🔊这么大zhème dà🔊
English Translation:
There was a frog who always lived in a dry well. It boasted to a sea turtle from the East Sea: "Look how happy I am! I can go out and come back as I please. The whole well is mine." The turtle wanted to go in and see, but the opening was too small to enter. The turtle said to the frog: "Have you ever seen the sea? The East Sea is boundless. Even a thousand li cannot describe its vastness." The frog was very surprised - it had never known the world outside was so big.

Key Vocabulary

井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
a frog in a well
jǐng
well
青蛙
qīngwā
frog
海龟
hǎiguī
sea turtle
东海
Dōng Hǎi
East Sea
世界
shìjiè
world

The Moral

Broaden your horizons! This idiom describes people with limited knowledge who think their small world is everything.

Cultural Insight

井底之蛙 comes from "Zhuangzi" (庄子).