jmdict 2627210 Active (id#2229578)
葦の髄から天井を覗く
【 よしのずいからてんじょうをのぞく 】
  1. [exp,v5k] [id]
    • to have a narrow view of things
    • [lit] to peek at the ceiling through the pith of a reed
Conjugations
History:
    • A 2023-04-28 11:50:53 Jim Breen (id#2229578)
    • A* 2023-04-27 12:39:52 Marcus Richert (id#2229534)
    • Comments
      (I haven't looked at Brian's edit)
    • Diff
      @@ -12,0 +13 @@
+<misc>&id;</misc>
    • A* 2023-04-27 10:12:29 Brian Krznarich (id#2229519)
    • Comments
      The first reference here had a long description of this idiom.  Had the rather nice-looking translation of 覗く as "peer at the ceiling". Not sure if that is any more [lit] than "look" was though.

look -> peek/peep
Also, since [lit], adding a term for 髄.

peep/peek matches:
針の穴から天覗く
針の穴から天を覗く 
鍵の穴から天を覗く
    • Refs
      I have comments already on 針の穴から天覗く, but I ran into an article on this term specifically, and as you might imagine, the definitions are basically identical:

https://landofnu.com/2016/10/09/3250/
Forming opinions and making decisions on a topic based on one’s narrow views and pre-formed beliefs rather than any sort of breadth or depth of experience. Making judgments about big issues based on little information, often in a self-serving way. Having a view as narrow as what can be seen through the hollow stem of a reed after the pith has dried up.

This saying is the よ entry of the Edo iroha karuta set, and is mostly synonymous with the saying about the frog in the well.

https://www.gyosei.jp/service/catalog/hiruma_JHS_2019/HTML/index386.html
One peeps at the heavens through the pith of a reed.
    • Diff
      @@ -14 +14 @@
-<gloss g_type="lit">to look at the ceiling through a reed</gloss>
+<gloss g_type="lit">to peek at the ceiling through the pith of a reed</gloss>
    • A 2011-04-26 07:05:00 Jim Breen
    • A* 2011-04-23 09:05:41 Rene Malenfant
    • Refs
      koj, daij, gg5
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