📖 Meaning
Literally 'a rat's eyes can only see an inch of light.' It describes someone who is short-sighted and lacks foresight or vision. The idiom criticizes a narrow-minded perspective that focuses only on immediate, trivial gains.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom draws on the folk observation that rats have very small eyes and can only perceive objects within a very short distance. It became a vivid metaphor in vernacular Chinese for people who cannot see beyond the immediate present. Unlike many chengyu, it has no single literary source or historical anecdote attached to it; it crystallized from common speech over time. Its meaning has remained consistent, serving as a rebuke to those who plan only for the near term.
💡 Example Usage
他为了眼前一点小利就放弃了长远的发展计划，真是鼠目寸光。
He abandoned his long-term development plan for a little immediate profit—truly short-sighted.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鼠目寸光
- Pinyin: shǔ mù cùn guāng
- Literal Translation: rat, eye, inch, light
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4