<p>if you answer your own questions, we have nothing to do! I'll go get in the soup kitchen queue.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.xiexingcun.net/3y2p/04/mydoc001.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.xiexingcun.net/3y2p/04/mydoc001.htm</a></p>

<p>语有之：“少所见，多所怪。”</p>

<p>The Chinese is definitely more succinct!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-20T09:17:19.503Z
2018-04-20T09:17:19.503Z
Pedroski
<p><a href="http://www.zggdwx.com/chuke/0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中国古典文学</a> has the preface.</p>
<p>Here's the first paragraph:</p>
<blockquote>
<h1>初刻拍案惊奇</h1>
<p>凌濛初</p>
<h1>序</h1>
<p>语有之：“少所见，多所怪。”今之人，但知耳目之外，牛鬼蛇神之为奇，而不知耳目之内，日用起居，其为谲诡幻怪非可以常理测者固多也。昔华人至异域，异域咤以牛粪金；随诘华之异者，则曰：“有虫蠕蠕，而吐为彩缯锦绮，衣被天下。”彼舌挢而不信，乃华人未之或奇也。则所谓必向耳目之外索谲诡幻怪以为奇，赘矣。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The translation of <code>“To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”</code> is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>少所见，多所怪</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is also an entry for this in <strong>ABC Proverbs</strong> which says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Lit [Things (which are)] seldom seen [are felt to be] strange.
Note Cf. the preface to Chū Kè Pāi'àn Jīngqì; now more commonly said shǎo jiàn, duō guài; see also the preceding entry.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Like the definition mentions the more, modern, common variant of this phrase is 少见多怪 which <strong>ABC</strong> defines as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The less one has seen, the more one marvels.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p><strong>ABC Proverbs</strong> also contains the old phrase with an added sentence:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>少所见多见怪，睹橐驼谓马肿背。</p>
<p>Lit [One who has] seen little regards many things as strange; [(s)he] sees a camel [and] calls [it a] horse with a hunchback.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-19T11:35:41.903Z
少见多怪 is a common phrase for saying someone is ignorant, uninformed on a subject
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-19T07:23:47.977Z
2018-04-19T07:23:47.977Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>In the English translation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slapping_the_Table_in_Amazement" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Slapping the Table in Amazement</em></a> there's an interesting phrase that shows up:</p>
<blockquote>
<h1>Preface [1628 Edition]</h1>
<p>As the saying goes, “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&amp;res=9051&amp;remap=gb" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ctext</a> &amp; <a href="https://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E5%88%9D%E5%88%BB%E6%8B%8D%E6%A1%88%E9%A9%9A%E5%A5%87" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikisource</a> both only start at &quot;chapter&quot; one. There doesn't seem to be a preface.</p>
<p>What's the original Chinese for: <code>“To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”</code>?</p>

<translation>
What's the original Chinese to “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”?
# What's the original Chinese to “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-19)

In the English translation of [*Slapping the Table in Amazement*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slapping_the_Table_in_Amazement) there's an interesting phrase that shows up:

> # Preface [1628 Edition]
>
> As the saying goes, “To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”

[ctext](https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&res=9051&remap=gb) & [Wikisource](https://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E5%88%9D%E5%88%BB%E6%8B%8D%E6%A1%88%E9%A9%9A%E5%A5%87) both only start at "chapter" one. There doesn't seem to be a preface.

What's the original Chinese for: `“To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”`?

**Tags:** translation


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2018-04-19. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

[中国古典文学](http://www.zggdwx.com/chuke/0.html) has the preface.

Here's the first paragraph:

> # 初刻拍案惊奇
>
> 凌濛初
>
> # 序
>
> 语有之：“少所见，多所怪。”今之人，但知耳目之外，牛鬼蛇神之为奇，而不知耳目之内，日用起居，其为谲诡幻怪非可以常理测者固多也。昔华人至异域，异域咤以牛粪金；随诘华之异者，则曰：“有虫蠕蠕，而吐为彩缯锦绮，衣被天下。”彼舌挢而不信，乃华人未之或奇也。则所谓必向耳目之外索谲诡幻怪以为奇，赘矣。

The translation of `“To one who has seen too little of the world, everything is strange.”` is:

> 少所见，多所怪

There is also an entry for this in **ABC Proverbs** which says:

> Lit [Things (which are)] seldom seen [are felt to be] strange.
> Note Cf. the preface to Chū Kè Pāi'àn Jīngqì; now more commonly said shǎo jiàn, duō guài; see also the preceding entry.

Like the definition mentions the more, modern, common variant of this phrase is 少见多怪 which **ABC** defines as:

> The less one has seen, the more one marvels.

---

**ABC Proverbs** also contains the old phrase with an added sentence:

> 少所见多见怪，睹橐驼谓马肿背。
>
> Lit [One who has] seen little regards many things as strange; [(s)he] sees a camel [and] calls [it a] horse with a hunchback.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: 少见多怪 is a common phrase for saying someone is ignorant, uninformed on a subject  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-04-20. Score: 0

if you answer your own questions, we have nothing to do! I'll go get in the soup kitchen queue.

<http://www.xiexingcun.net/3y2p/04/mydoc001.htm>

语有之：“少所见，多所怪。”

The Chinese is definitely more succinct!


---

