bīng冰iceshān山mountainyī一onejiǎo角corner
Tip of the iceberg.
Literal meaning
ice (冰) — mountain (山) — one (一) — corner (角)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase alluding to the fact that most of an iceberg is hidden below the water.
Examples
zhè zhǐshì wèntí de bīngshān-yìjiǎo.这只是问题的冰山一角。
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the problem.
wǒmen kàndào de zhǐshì bīngshān-yìjiǎo, hái yǒu hěnduō wèntí méiyǒu bàolù chūlái.我们看到的只是冰山一角，还有很多问题没有暴露出来。
What we see is just the tip of the iceberg; there are many more problems that have not been exposed.
Usage & nuances
Indicates that the visible part of a problem or situation is much smaller than the hidden part.
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