一叶障目 (yī xié) — to be blinded by a trivial matter; to miss the bigger picture due to focusing on a minor detail
Definition
A chengyu meaning 'a leaf before the eyes blinds you' — i.e., letting one small detail obscure the whole picture. Often paired with 不见泰山 ('not seeing Mount Tai') for a fuller idiom form.
idiom
to be blinded by a trivial matterto miss the bigger picture due to focusing on a minor detail
Examples
- 一叶障目，。Wǒ men bù néng yīn wèi yí gè xiǎo wèn tí ér yī xié, hū shì le zhěng tǐ jì huà.We cannot be blinded by a small problem and overlook the overall plan.
- ，一叶障目，。Tā zhī kàn zhòng yǎn qián de lì yì, yī xié, méi yǒu kǎo lǜ cháng yuǎn de fā zhǎn.He only focuses on immediate gains, blinded by a trivial matter, and fails to consider long-term development.
- ，一叶障目，。Fēn xī wèn tí yào quán miàn, bú yào yī xié, bèi xì zhī mò jié suǒ mí huò.When analyzing a problem, be comprehensive; don't be blinded by a trivial matter or misled by minor details.
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