井底之蛙，這個出自兩千多年前《莊子·秋水》“井蛙不可以語于海者，拘于虛也”、中國人婦孺皆知的中文成語，西方人還以為是日本、韓國、印度或其他亞洲國家的成語，這不能不說是一件讓中國人覺得可笑甚至遺憾的事情。

在互聯網上，不難搜索到以下例子：

1、Finally, to quote a Korean proverb; it is undesirable and limiting to be like a frog in a well. （我們）可引用一個韓國諺語作為（本文的）結尾：做個井底之蛙既不可取，也限制了（我們思想的進步）。

2、There is a story often told by Srila Prabhupada of a frog in a well. The well is three-feet wide and the frog was born there and has spent all his life at the bottom of this well...圣帕布帕德（印度有名的精神領袖——作者注）經常講到井底之蛙的故事。那口井只有3英尺寬，青蛙出生于那里并在井底生活一輩子……

3、Yet he still refers to himself as a "frog in a well," a Korean expression for a person who knows nothing about the outside world. 可是他還是把自己比做“井底之蛙”，這個韓國成語比喻的是那種對外部世界一無所知的人。

從上述三個例子我們可以注意到：井底之蛙這個成語已經和我們中華民族沒什么關系了！

作為一個有一點點英文基礎的中國人，我覺得有一種義務嘗試用英語來解釋這個成語的origin及美國知名漢學家華森（Burton Watson，1925－）翻譯的《莊子全譯本》中的段落加以佐證，希望盡可能幫助那些不懂這點知識的外國人士能夠及早意識到自己的錯誤。同時也希望譯言的廣大譯友在此貢獻各自的外文智慧，讓更多老外提高對中華文化的認識水平。

【成語】井底之蛙(jing3 di3 zhi1 wa1)：形容見識短淺的人。

【英譯】1. (as a noun): a well frog; a wellfrog; a well-frog; a frog in a well：a Chinese metaphore indicating a close-minded.
2. (as an adjective): of or related to someone like a well frog; short-sighted; unthinking.

【Origin】from Qiushui ("Autumn Water")by Zhuangzi,(Chuang Tzu, or Chuang-tse, 369-286 B.C.E), an ancient Chinese philosopher.

【Referrence】Jo of the North Sea said, "You can't discuss the ocean with a well frog - he's limited by the space he lives in. You can't discuss ice with a summer insect - he's bound to a single season. You can't discuss the Way with a cramped scholar - he's shackled by his doctrines. Now you have come out beyond your banks and borders and have seen the great sea - so you realize your own pettiness. From now on it will be possible to talk to you about the Great Principle. 北海若曰：“井蛙不可以語于海者，拘于虛也；夏蟲不可以語于冰者，篤于時也；曲士不可以語于道者，束于教也。爾出于崖涘，觀于大海，乃知爾丑，爾將可與語大理矣。” --from The Complete Works Of Chuang Tzu, Translated by Burton Watson (1965)

【用法舉例】（希望譯者同行多提供一些，以壯大我們的聲威）

1. When I entered the college from the small town where I was born, I was taken by my classmates as a frog in a well because I knew so little about city life.

2. You had better learn as much as you could if you wish you had not been such a well frog.

3. A wellfrog teacher tends to urge his or her pupils do just what he or she asks them to do.

4. Once I was almost a financial well frog who had been spending far more than I could earn.

相信還有不少精彩的說法，大家都來貢獻一點，如何？