The answers are as following:
1)Strictly speaking, it's a Chinese idiom not a proverb..
2)I prefer “having given a cursory look and gained shallow understanding” to "gaining a superficial understanding through cursory observation”.
The reasons are as following:
3)Here, 观 equals 看,just like坐井观天.
4)“观察”:仔细察看客观事物或现象,如“观察地形”、“观察问题”。(Look round objective things or phenomenon, like “observation terrain”, “observation question”.)
More Points are as following:
5)原意:春风得意的样子 Its original intention is elated with success appearance.
常用来形容不深入细致地观察事物,只是粗略地观察,比喻被表面现象所迷惑。
Usually used to describe non-depth and non-meticulous observation of things, only a rough observed, the analogy is confused by the superficial phenomenon.
6) 近义词(near idioms): 浮光掠影; 反义词(contrary idioms) : 下马看花
The sources are as following:
7) 唐代著名诗人孟郊,40岁以前一直过着隐居生活。后来在母亲的勉励下,他赴京城赶考。但两次都没考中,第三次才终于榜上有名。高兴之余,他提笔写下了《登科后》一诗,用以表达自己喜悦的心情,诗的后两句是“春风得意马蹄疾,一日看尽长安花。后人就此概括出了“走马观花”这个成语。
8)另有民间传说,录此供分享:有一个媒人,给一个瘸腿男子和一个兔唇姑娘说媒(相亲),让男孩骑马,女孩手持一朵花假装在嗅。直到两人成婚才发现上当。