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 French, Spanish, and Japanese
- French: La grenouille dans le puits ne connaît pas le grand océan (literally: The frog in the well doesn't know the great ocean)
- Spanish: La rana en el pozo no conoce el gran océano (literally: The frog in the well doesn't know the great ocean)
- 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)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- A good beginning makes a good ending — How you start something largely determines how it will finish; preparation and intention…
- He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened — Understanding others requires wisdom, but self-knowledge is the highest form of understan…
- Measure twice, cut once — Take time to plan carefully before acting, to avoid costly and irreversible mistakes.
- The best mirror is an old friend — True friends who have known us for a long time see us most clearly and honestly.
- He who fights with monsters should look to it that he does not become one — In struggling against evil, we risk adopting the very characteristics we oppose.
- Wisdom begins in wonder — Curiosity and a sense of amazement at the world are the foundations of all knowledge.
From our tongue twisters
- На дворе трава, на траве дрова. (Na dvore trava, na trave drova.) — A short but nasty 'tr/dr' blend — the consonant clusters that trip up every learner of Ru…
- Шла Саша по шоссе и сосала сушку. (Shla Sasha po shosse i sosala sushku.) — A merciless 'sh/s/ss' collision — Sasha walking, sucking, and all those sibilants.
- Карл у Клары украл кораллы, Клара у Карла украла кларнет. (Karl u Klary ukral korally, Klara u Karla ukrala klarnet.) — A 'kl/kr/r' drama — crime, countercrimes, and consonant clusters all at once.