管中窺豹

Chinese

		tube	in	peep; pry into	leopard; panther
trad. (管中窺豹)		管	中	窺	豹
simp. (管中窥豹)		管	中	窥	豹

Etymology

From Shishuo Xinyu, Chapter 5:

王子敬數歲時，嘗看諸門生樗蒲。見有勝負，因曰：“南風不競。”門生輩輕其小兒，迺曰：“此郎亦管中窺豹，時見一斑。” [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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王子敬数岁时，尝看诸门生樗蒲。见有胜负，因曰：“南风不竞。”门生辈轻其小儿，乃曰：“此郎亦管中窥豹，时见一斑。” [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: Liu Yiqing (editor), A New Account of the Tales of the World, 5^th century CE

Wáng Zǐjìng shù suì shí, cháng kàn zhū ménshēng chūpú. Jiàn yǒu shèngfù, yīn yuē: “Nánfēng bù jìng.” Ménshēng bèi qīng qí xiǎo'ér, nǎi yuē: “Cǐ láng yì guǎn zhōng kuī bào, shí jiàn yī bān.” [Pinyin]

When Wang Hsien-chih was only a few years of age, he was once watching his father's pupils playing chaupar (an ancient game like dice-throwing). Seeing in advance who was going to win or lose, he said, “‘The southern airs can't compete (with the northern).’”! The pupils, belittling him because he was a small boy, then said, “This lad’s another case of someone ‘peeping at a leopard through a tube’; every now and then he sees a spot.”

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): guǎnzhōngkuībào

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄢˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄎㄨㄟ ㄅㄠˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gun² zung¹ kwai¹ paau³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guǎnzhōngkuībào
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄢˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄎㄨㄟ ㄅㄠˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guǎnjhongkueibào
    • Wade–Giles: kuan³-chung¹-kʻuei¹-pao⁴
    • Yale: gwǎn-jūng-kwēi-bàu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: goanjongkueibaw
    • Palladius: гуаньчжункуйбао (guanʹčžunkujbao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵ pɑʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gun² zung¹ kwai¹ paau³
    • Yale: gún jūng kwāi paau
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gun² dzung¹ kwai¹ paau³
    • Guangdong Romanization: gun² zung¹ kuei¹ pao³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuːn³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ kʷʰɐi̯⁵⁵ pʰaːu̯³³/

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• Middle Chinese: kwanX trjuwng khjwie paewH

Rime
Character	管	中	窺	豹
Reading #	1/1	1/2	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	知 (9)	溪 (29)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	桓 (62)	東 (2)	支 (12)	肴 (90)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	III	III	II
Fanqie	古滿切	陟弓切	去隨切	北敎切
Baxter	kwanX	trjuwng	khjwie	paewH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuɑnX/	/ʈɨuŋ/	/kʰiuᴇ/	/pˠauH/
Pan Wuyun	/kʷɑnX/	/ʈiuŋ/	/kʰʷiɛ/	/pᵚauH/
Shao Rongfen	/kuɑnX/	/ȶiuŋ/	/kʰjuɛ/	/pauH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kwanX/	/ʈuwŋ/	/kʰwiə̆/	/paɨwH/
Li Rong	/kuɑnX/	/ȶiuŋ/	/kʰiue/	/pauH/
Wang Li	/kuɑnX/	/ȶĭuŋ/	/kʰǐwe/	/pauH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuɑnX/	/ȶi̯uŋ/	/kʰwie̯/	/pauH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	guǎn	zhōng	kuī	bào
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gun2	zung1	fai1	baau3

Idiom

管中窺豹

1. to see only part of the big picture; to have only a limited view of something