Language: en
Meaning: (idiomatic)To appreciate thedetailsof something, as opposed to only focusing on thebig picture.Antonym:see the forest for the trees1953, Gordon Canfield (quoted),Treasury-Post Office Departments Appropriations for 1954, U.S. Government Printing Office, page741:They naturally become very close to the personnel, supervisory and otherwise, and also the areas that they have to inspect, and sometimes I think they are unable tosee the trees through the forestor the forest through the trees.1984, Robert Bruck (quoted),Effects of Air Pollution and Acid Rain on Forest Decline, U.S. Government Printing Office, page43:However, very often it is difficult tosee the trees through the forest, if I may make a pun.2006April 21, Richard J. Morris,Disability Research and Policy: Current Perspectives, Routledge,→ISBN, page99:To summarize, in a reductionistic orientation the practitioner cannot "see the forest through the trees"; and in a holistic orientation the practitioner may fail to "see the trees through the forest." Either orientation is not complete in itself, and there is no philosophical basis that is superior to another.201612, Julia Kuo, Michael Wojtech,Drawing Trees and Leaves: Observing and Sketching the Natural World,→ISBN, page46:With a little understanding of the structure of bark, and the vital functions it serves, its details come alive, providing both a means tosee the trees through the forestand a bounty of colors and textures to enjoy.
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