How do you use "Tip of the iceberg" in a sentence?

The reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg. This is only the tip of the iceberg—there's much more to discover. What we've seen so far is the tip of the iceberg.

Tip of the iceberg

Q: What does "Tip of the iceberg" mean?

Only a small visible part of a much larger problem What's apparent is only a fraction of the full situation. Like an iceberg where 90% is hidden underwater, the visible problem hints at something much bigger.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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含义: Only a small visible part of a much larger problem

只是更大问题中显露出来的一小部分

Solo una pequeña parte visible de un problema mucho mayor

はるかに大きな問題のうち、見えている小さな部分にすぎない

빙산의 일각

What's apparent is only a fraction of the full situation. Like an iceberg where 90% is hidden underwater, the visible problem hints at something much bigger.

表面看到的只是全貌的一小部分。就像冰山90%隐藏在水下一样，可见的问题暗示着更大的问题。

Lo que se ve es solo una fracción de la situación completa. Como un iceberg donde el 90 % está oculto bajo el agua, el problema visible sugiere algo mucho más grande.

表面に見えていることは全体のほんの一部にすぎない。氷山の90%が水中に隠れているように、見えている問題はもっと大きな何かを示唆している。

겉으로 드러난 것은 전체 상황의 극히 일부에 불과하다는 뜻. 빙산의 90%가 수면 아래 감춰져 있듯이, 보이는 문제는 훨씬 더 큰 문제를 암시한다.

例句

The reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg.
报告的案例只是冰山一角
Los casos reportados son solo la punta del iceberg
報告されたケースは氷山の一角にすぎない
보고된 사례는 빙산의 일각에 불과하다.
This is only the tip of the iceberg—there's much more to discover.
这只是冰山一角——还有更多有待发现
Esto es solo la punta del iceberg, hay mucho más por descubrir
これは氷山の一角にすぎない——まだまだ明らかになることがある
이것은 빙산의 일각일 뿐—아직 밝혀질 것이 훨씬 더 많다.
What we've seen so far is the tip of the iceberg.
我们迄今为止看到的只是冰山一角
Lo que hemos visto hasta ahora es la punta del iceberg
これまでに見たものは氷山の一角だ
지금까지 본 것은 빙산의 일각이다.

发音

/tɪp əv ðə ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/

用法指南

语境: investigations, problems, discoveries

语气: ominous, significant

✓ 正确说法

Just the tip of the iceberg
只是冰山一角
Solo la punta del iceberg
氷山の一角にすぎない
빙산의 일각일 뿐이야
This is only the tip of the iceberg
这只是冰山一角
Esto es solo la punta del iceberg
これは氷山の一角だ
이건 빙산의 일각이야

✗ 错误说法

Very common in journalism
在新闻报道中非常常见
Muy común en el periodismo
ジャーナリズムで非常によく使われる
언론에서 매우 흔히 사용됨

常见错误

None—very clear metaphor

起源与历史

From the scientific fact that only about 10% of an iceberg is visible above water. The Titanic disaster (1912) may have popularized awareness of this phenomenon, though the phrase came later.

词源: From physical properties of icebergs

最早记录: Mid-20th century

文化背景

Era: Mid-20th century onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Titanic; Investigative journalism

Regional notes: Universal across English-speaking world.

变体

Tip of the icebergJust the tip of the iceberg