How do you pronounce 按图索骥?

按图索骥 is pronounced as "àn tú suǒ jì" in Mandarin Chinese.

按图索骥

Q: What does 按图索骥 mean?

按图索骥 (àn tú suǒ jì) literally means "Go by the drawing to find the horse" and metaphorically means "Rigidly following outdated methods". It belongs to the Strategy & Action category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 按图索骥 used?

按图索骥 is used when The investors relied on outdated market research to find opportunities in the rapidly evolving technology sector.

按图索骥 (àn tú suǒ jì) literally means “go by the drawing to find the horse” and expresses “rigidly following outdated methods”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving strategy and action.

Also searched as: an tu suo ji, an tu suo ji,按图索骥 meaning, 按图索骥 in english

Rigidly following outdated methods

Pronunciation: àn tú suǒ jì Literal meaning: Go by the drawing to find the horse

Origin & Usage

Mei Fu, memorialising the Han throne about how it chose officials, said that looking for able men by the current method was like consulting Bo Le's diagram and expecting to buy a thoroughbred in the market. The story behind the image is older than its famous telling: a Tang collection already has Bo Le's son going out with his father's manual on horses and coming home with a toad. The Ming scholar Yang Shen retold it and supplied the tag — 按图索骏, going by the drawing (按图) in search of (索) a fine horse — where the modern idiom has 骥 for his 骏. Applying a rule mechanically to a case it has stopped fitting.

Examples

English: "The investors relied on outdated market research to find opportunities in the rapidly evolving technology sector"

Chinese: 投资者依靠过时的市场研究在快速发展的技术领域寻找机会

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about strategy & action

枕戈待旦

zhěn gē dài dàn

Maintain high vigilance awaiting challenge

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不可思议

bù kě sī yì

Beyond comprehension or explanation

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按部就班

àn bù jiù bān

Follow established procedures; step by step

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步步为营

bù bù wéi yíng

Advance methodically with caution

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暗度陈仓

àn dù chén cāng

Achieve secretly through misdirection

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釜底抽薪

fǔ dǐ chōu xīn

Eliminate root cause of problem

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鹬蚌相争

yù bàng xiāng zhēng

Mutual conflict benefits third party

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针锋相对

zhēn fēng xiāng duì

Sharp, direct confrontation in argument

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 按图索骥 mean in English?

按图索骥 (àn tú suǒ jì) literally translates to “Go by the drawing to find the horse” and is used to express “Rigidly following outdated methods”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Strategy & Action category.