The Frog in the Well

HSK 2 · 127 characters · Idioms for Beginners

A frog thinks the sky is tiny until a little bird tells him to jump out.

一只yī zhī青蛙qīng wā住zhù在zài井jǐng里lǐ。A frog lived in a well.它tā每天měi tiān从cóng井jǐng里lǐ看kàn天tiān。Every day it looked at the sky from inside the well.它tā说shuō：“天tiān只有zhǐ yǒu一点点yī diǎn diǎn大dà。”It said, "The sky is only a tiny bit big."

一只yī zhī小鸟xiǎo niǎo飞来fēi lái，坐在zuò zài井jǐng边biān。A little bird flew over and sat at the edge of the well.小鸟xiǎo niǎo说shuō：“不对bù duì，天tiān很大hěn dà很大hěn dà。”The bird said, "That's not right. The sky is very, very big."

青蛙qīng wā不bù相信xiāng xìn，笑了xiào le起来qǐ lai。The frog did not believe it and started to laugh.小鸟xiǎo niǎo说shuō：“你nǐ跳tiào出来chū lái看看kàn kan吧ba。”The bird said, "Jump out and take a look."

青蛙qīng wā跳出tiào chū井jǐng，看到kàn dào了le很大hěn dà的de天tiān。The frog jumped out of the well and saw the huge sky.它tā说shuō：“原来yuán lái我wǒ知道zhī dào的de太tài少了shǎo le！”It said, "So I knew far too little!"

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“井底之蛙jǐng dǐ zhī wā”。This idiom is "a frog at the bottom of a well."意思yì si是shì：一个人yī gè rén看到kàn dào的de很少hěn shǎo，懂dǒng的de也yě很少hěn shǎo。It means: a person who has seen very little and understands very little.例句lì jù：不要bù yào做zuò井底之蛙jǐng dǐ zhī wā，多duō出去chū qù看看kàn kan吧ba！Example: Don't be a frog in a well — go out and see more!