Meanings
plural fingers pointing at the moon
- idiomaticSomething serving to indicate, as opposed to the thing being indicated.
The map, the words, the moral rules are but fingers pointing at the moon of experience. Understand the finger for what it is, and look beyond it to the source and meaning of it all.
2012, Robert E. Carter, Encounter with Enlightenment: A Study of Japanese Ethics, page 1081 more example
In the Eastern religions we are reminded that a symbol is a finger pointing at the moon and should not be mistaken for the moon, but nevertheless the pointing finger enables us to look in the right direction.
2011, David Fontana, Is Christianity Good for You?, page 178
Origin
From Buddhism.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
finger pointing at the moon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finger%20pointing%20at%20the%20moon
“finger pointing at the moon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finger%20pointing%20at%20the%20moon. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “finger pointing at the moon,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finger%20pointing%20at%20the%20moon.
Source: finger pointing at the moon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.