成语——按图索骥

Meaning of the Idiom

an tu suo ji

Looking for a Steed with the Aid Of Its Picture

During the Spring and Autumn Period (chūn qiū ,770-476 BC), there was a man in the State of Qin whose name was Sun Yang (sūn yáng ). Sun Yang was very expert in looking at horses and judging their worth. People called him Bo Le (Bo Le was fabled to be in charge of heavenly steeds as a celestial), and he was often asked to appraise and select horses.

Bo Le wrote a book entitled The Art of Looking at Horses and Judging Their Worth, based on his experiences and knowledge accumulated over the years. The book was also illustrated with the pictures of various horses. Bo Le had a son who thought it was very easy to appraise horses according to the book. So he took it with him to look for fine horses. He found the characteristics of a toad fit very well the characteristics described in the book. So he happily took the toad back home, Bo Le did not know whether he should laugh or cry. “That is just what we call looking for a steed with the aid of its picture.”

Later, people have used the set phrase “look for a steed with the aid of its picture” to refer to handling affairs mechanically in the outmoded ways without being flexible. Sometimes it is also used to refer to trying to locate something by following up a clue.

按图索骥

àn tú suǒ jì，按图索骥是由寓言故事演化而来，指按照图像寻找好马，比喻按线索寻找，也比喻办事机械、死板。 

出自《汉书·梅福传》、《艺林·伐山》。

例句

警察根据已经发现的线索，按图索骥，很快找到了那批被盗文物。

有些读者，不明白文字后面的深层寓义，常常按图索骥，已近于理解错误。

做好一件事必须要亲身实践，纸上谈兵和按图索骥的做法都应当反对。

Reading The Paragraphs!

Meaning of Words

 

词语	华文解释	英文解释
相（ xiāng）传	指长期以来互相传说。 例句：七夕节是个历代相传的节日。	legend
相（xiàng）马	指通过外观和状态来观察和识别马的好坏。 例句：古时候，马是重要的交通工具，因此相马成为一种非常重要和特别的工作。	to judge horses
辨别	对不同的事物在认识上加以区别。 例句：他辨别声音的能力很强。	identify
孰（shú）优孰劣	意思是谁好谁坏。 例句：这几所学校的广告都做得精彩异常，但孰优孰劣还是要看学生的表现才知道。	relative merits
尊称	意思是尊敬的称呼。 例句：医护人员都穿着雪白的大褂，被人们尊称为“白衣天使”。	address somebody respectfully; honorific title
形态特征	形态：形式或状态。指事物存在的样貌，或在一定条件下的表现形式。特征：是一个事物与其他事物不同的特点。 例句：玫瑰和月季的花朵在形态特征上都十分相似。	form; shape; pattern character
资质	指人的天资、禀赋。或指从事某种工作或活动所具备的条件、资格、能力等。 例句：小班教学的优点，是让老师可依据学生的资质能力来因材施教，给学生更多的成长空间。	natural endowments; intelligence
酒曲	指一种包含各种活性菌种用来酿酒的混合物。 例句：这些米酒是用酒曲酿造的，非常香甜.	distillers yeast
相差无几	意思是彼此没有多大差别。 例句：中美两国的国土面积相差无几，但是中国人口数量是美国的好几倍。	not much difference between
哭笑不得	用来形容遇到可恨又可笑的事情時很尴尬的神情和心态。 例句：小安把香叶当成茶叶来泡，真是令妈妈哭笑不得。	be able neither to cry nor to laugh; be at a loss whether to cry or to laugh;
幽默	形容有趣或可笑而意味深长。 例句：小刚这个人幽默风趣，大家都喜欢和他聊天。	humor; humour
拘泥教条（jū nì jiào tiáo）	形容做事时只按照固有的框架，不知道变通。 例句：朱先生是个拘泥教条的老人，他总是对年轻人的穿着嗤之以鼻。	inflexible; starchiness
墨守成规	指思想保守，守着老规矩不肯改变。 例句：纵然大家都改用电脑来辅助设计，他仍然墨守成规，用老方法来画设计图。	legalistic