📖 Meaning
A person with limited experience finds unfamiliar things strange or surprising. It is often used to mock those who are narrow-minded or ignorant, making a fuss over what is actually commonplace.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from two classical sources. Ge Hong's 'Baopuzi' (抱朴子) from the Jin Dynasty states: 'When one has seen little, one finds much to be strange — this is the way of the world.' The Han Dynasty scholar Mou Rong's 'Mouzi' (牟子) illustrates it with a vivid anecdote: a man who had never seen a camel, upon spotting one, declared it to be a horse with a swollen back. This story perfectly captures the folly of judging the unfamiliar through the lens of limited experience.
💡 Example Usage
别少见多怪了，这在大城市很常见。
Stop making a fuss over nothing — this is quite common in big cities.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 少见多怪
- Pinyin: shǎo jiàn duō guài
- Literal Translation: see little, find much strange
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4