井の中の蛙大海を知らず

From Literary Chinese 井鼃不可以語於海者，拘於虛也 (“A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean”), from the writings of Zhuangzi.[1]

Compare modern Mandarin 井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐzhīwā).

• IPA^(key): [i no̞ na̠ka̠ no̞ ka̠ɰᵝa̠zɨᵝ ta̠ika̠i o̞ ɕiɾa̠zɨᵝ]

井の中の蛙大海を知らず (hiragana いのなかのかわずたいかいをしらず, rōmaji i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu)

1. metaphor of a narrow world view based on limited experience (literally, "a frog in a well does not know the great ocean")
   • 2006, 下 健, 言葉と生きる, 新風舎, page 23,

     また、私たちは往々にしてほんの少し周囲の人たちより良い結果がでると、有頂天になって自慢したいような気持ちになりがちです。

     まさに『井の中の蛙大海を知らず』で恥ずかしい話であります。

     Mata, watashitachi wa ōō ni shite hon no sukoshi shūi no hitotachi yori yoi kekka ga deru to, uchōten ni natte jiman shitai yō na kimochi ni narigachi desu.

     Masa ni "i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu" de hazukashii hanashi de arimasu.

     We are also prone to feel proud of ourselves and feel like bragging when we get a result that is just a little bit better than that of the others around us.

     This is indeed a case of "a frog in a well does not know the great ocean" and is an embarrassing state of affairs.

• 井 (い)の中 (なか)の蛙 (かわず) (i no naka no kawazu)

• Chinese: 井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐzhīwā)