ProverbWisdomChinese origin4th c. BC

The frog in the well knows not the great ocean

Meaning: Those with limited experience cannot comprehend the vastness of the wider world.

Origin: From the Zhuangzi, a Daoist classic of the 4th century BC, where a frog living in a shallow well boasts of its home until a sea turtle describes the ocean. Japanese has the same proverb as i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu.

Equivalents in Japanese

  • Japanese: 井の中の蛙大海を知らず (I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu) (literally: A frog in a well does not know the great sea)

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