【英语习语】

can't see the wood for the trees

【习语注释】

该习语中的wood表示“树林”，其字面意思是“因为树木而看不到树林”，主要用来喻指“by focusing on detail you lose perspective and miss what is important”，即“因为专注于细节而没有看到全局，从而错过了重要的东西”，相当于汉语里的“只见树木，不见森林；见树不见林；只重细节，不顾整体；不顾全大局”。

【习语运用】

Worrying about the small details means I can't see the wood for the trees.

担心这些小细节意味着我不能顾全大局。

When you can't see the wood for the trees, take a step back and remind yourself what you are doing.

当你看不到整体大局时，退一步并提醒自己正在做什么。

I've been working on this project for a long time but can't see the wood for the trees – what are we trying to achieve?

这个项目我已经做了很长时间了，但却见树不见林——不知道我们最终要实现什么目标？

She can't make a decision about the project because she can't see the wood for the trees.

对于这个计划她决定不下来，因为她见树不见林。

【闲话习语】

该习语首次使用记录出现在英国著名文学家、政治家和空想社会主义学说创始人托马斯·莫尔（Sir Thomas More）的作品《Confutacion of Tyndals Answere》（1533年）中：

"And as he myght tell vs, that of Poules chyrch we may well se the stones, but we can not se the chyrce. And then we may well tell hym agayne, that he can not se the wood for the trees."

这段中世纪时期的英语翻译成现代英语的意思就是：

"He might tell us that of Paul’s Church we may well see the stones, but we cannot see the church. And then we may well tell him again that he cannot see the wood for the trees."

那么，你还知道英语里“见树不见林”的其它说法吗？欢迎留言探讨。