máng rén mō xiàng

ㄇㄤˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄇㄛㄒㄧㄤˋ

1to mistake the part for the whole

2unable to see the wood for the trees

3blind people touch an elephant (idiom, from Nirvana sutra 大般涅槃经|大般涅盘经); fig. unable to see the big picture