不識廬山真面目

See also: 不识庐山真面目

Chinese

to fail to see; not to know; not to appreciate Mount Lu true features; true identity; true colors
trad. (不識廬山真面目/不識廬山眞面目) 不識 廬山 真面目/眞面目
simp. (不识庐山真面目) 不识 庐山 真面目
Literally: “to be unable to recognize the true face of Mount Lu”.

Etymology

From the poem 題西林壁 by Song dynasty poet Su Shi in 1084.

橫看成嶺側成峰，遠近高低各不同。不識廬山真面目，只緣身在此山中。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
横看成岭侧成峰，远近高低各不同。不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: 1084, Su Shi, Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple (題西林壁), translated by Burton Watson
Héng kàn chéng lǐng cè chéng fēng, yuǎnjìn gāodī gè bùtóng. Bùshí Lúshān zhēnmiànmù, zhǐ yuán shēn zài cǐ shān zhōng. [Pinyin]
From the side, a whole range; from the end, a single peak: Far, near, high, low, no two parts alike. Why can’t I tell the true shape of Lu-shan? Because I myself am in the mountain.

Pronunciation

Idiom

不識廬山真面目

  1. to not recognize the full picture or true nature of something because one only has a partial understanding of it
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