What is the story of a blind man touching an elephant?

The story of the blind touching the elephant

Once upon a time, there was a king in India. He keeps many elephants. One day, he was sitting on an elephant when he suddenly saw a group of blind people resting on the side of the road. He ordered them to come over and asked them, "Do you know what an elephant looks like?" All the blind people denied it: "Your Majesty, we don't know." The king smiled and said, "Touch it yourself and report to me."

The blind man quickly groped around the elephant. After a while, they began to report to the king.

The blind man who touched the elephant's ear said, "An elephant is like a dustpan."

The blind man touching the elephant's leg said, "Elephants are like pillars."

The blind man touching the elephant's back said, "An elephant is like a bed."

The blind man touching the elephant's tail said, "An elephant is like a rope."

The king burst out laughing. It turns out that they mistake a part of contact for the whole.

Later, people used "the blind touch the elephant" to describe those who observe things one-sidedly, seeing only the part but not the whole.