Chinese idiom · 成语
鼠目寸光
Meaning
Rat’s eyes, inch of light; narrow vision.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary metaphorThe phrase imagines a mouse seeing only a tiny distance and turns that image into criticism of limited judgment. It is a figurative caricature, not a scientific statement about rodent eyesight. A documented use is in the Qing playwright Jiang Shiquan's Linchuan Meng.
In that play, the character representing Chen Jiru boasts of organizing and selling compilations and winning the admiration of narrow-minded readers of examination prose. The scene is theatrical satire about reputation and publishing, not a reliable confession by the historical Chen Jiru. The idiom now criticizes people who focus on immediate gain while overlooking a broader view or future consequences.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
为了省一点维修费就放任机器损坏，这种做法太鼠目寸光了。
Letting a machine deteriorate to save a little on repairs is terribly short-sighted.
A sharp criticism of narrow vision or lack of foresight.