Example: Pour réussir, il faut voir plus loin que le bout de son nez.
Definition
"Voir plus loin que le bout de son nez" means to think beyond immediate concerns or short-term perspectives, encouraging someone to consider future consequences or broader implications rather than focusing only on the present or obvious details.
Translations
To look beyond one's nose
Ver más allá de sus narices
Verder kijken dan je neus lang is
Veure més enllà del nas
Weiter als die eigene Nase sehen
Etymology
The phrase "Voir plus loin que le bout de son nez" literally translates to "see further than the tip of one's nose". It comes from the idea that a person's nose physically limits their direct sight, so seeing beyond it metaphorically means looking beyond immediate or obvious things. This expression has been used in French to advise broader vision and foresight.
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"Voir plus loin que le bout de son nez" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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To look beyond one's nose