On 10% of the iceberg is above the surface, hence the phrase "the tip of the iceberg".
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“Tip of the iceberg” means most superficial manifestation of some phenomenon, what is seen is only a small fraction of what really exists.
It is unusually hot today in the San Francisco Bay Area, about 40 C. Typically the weather is much cooler and very pleasant, so I can’t really complain too much. However, I want to think cool thoughts and ice comes to mind!
Did you know that an when you see an iceberg, you are seeing only 10 percent of what is really there? So when we say “the tip of the iceberg”, we are speaking of a minuscule portion of a something that is rather immense and monolithic.
Example: “You only saw one cockroach creeping in the kitchen, that is only the tip of the iceberg, there are many more.”
“The office gossip you see is just the tip of the iceberg, there much more going on behind closed doors.”
How do Chinese speakers express the phrase “tip of the iceberg“? I’d be honored and delighted if you would post a message in the comment section to teach the 老外 of the world!
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冰山一角 exactly the same meaning!