He Bo was the Yellow River God in the fairy tale. One autumn, a very heavy rain came, and all the small rivers were full of water, which flowed into the Yellow River from all directions.
The Yellow River became much broader all of a sudden, and flowed eastwards with surging waves. Seeing such vast and surging water, He Bo felt very proud, and thought all the grand things in the world belonged to him.
He Bo traveled eastwards with excitement with the river water, until he reached the East China Sea.
Looking at the vast sea, He Bo saw surging waves and the sea was too enormous to see the border. Compared to the rivers on the land, the sea was much, much larger. At this time, He Bo realized his littleness in face of the vast sea. Looking around and looking at the sky, he sighed, and said to the god of the sea, “I am just the person who thinks himself wise because of the limited view. I heard some rumors before, saying the knowledge of Confucius was still limited, though he was very witted; and Bo Yi was still not very generous, though he gave up his territory. I didn’t believe these remarks in the past, but today I believe them when I see the sea. Those remarks are not false. I had never been to the sea before, and had no idea the sea was so extensive. Instead, I thought I myself was the most splendid. My knowledge was really limited!”
This story comes from ChuangTze: Autumn River. Originally, this proverb meant a person broadened his vision in face of great things, and felt his littleness, and now is used
to describe the insufficient strength needed to do something.
