只 见 树 木，不 见 森 林

zhǐ jiàn shù mù , bù jiàn sēn líndictionary entry

can't see the wood for the trees

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-27cfa0283b19c713. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

只見樹木，不見森林 只见树木，不见森林 [zhi3 jian4 shu4 mu4 , bu4 jian4 sen1 lin2] /can't see the wood for the trees/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 只見樹木，不見森林

只
zhī
grain that has begun to ripen / classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc
zhǐ
only / merely / just
见
jiàn
to see / to meet / to appear (to be sth) / to interview / opinion / view
xiàn
to appear / also written 現|现[xiàn]
树
shù
tree / CL:棵[kē] / to cultivate / to set up
木
mù
(bound form) tree / (bound form) wood / unresponsive / numb / wooden
Mù
surname Mu
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
见
jiàn
to see / to meet / to appear (to be sth) / to interview / opinion / view
xiàn
to appear / also written 現|现[xiàn]
森
sēn
(bound form) densely wooded / (fig.) (bound form) multitudinous / gloomy / forbidding
Sēn
Mori (Japanese surname)
林
lín
(bound form) woods / forest / (bound form) circle(s) (i.e. specific group of people) / (bound form) a collection (of similar things)
Lín
surname Lin / Japanese surname Hayashi

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.