按图索骥

按圖索驥
àntúsuǒjì
idiom #79,523

Meanings

  1. 1 to look for a fine horse using a picture (idiom)
  2. 2 to follow clues mechanically; to go by the book rigidly

Examples

Jǐngfāng àntúsuǒjì, hěn kuài jiù zhǎodào le xiányí rén.
The police followed the clues and quickly found the suspect.
Zuò yánjiū bùnéng zhǐ àntúsuǒjì, yào shànyú fāxiàn xīn wèntí.
Research can't just follow the manual — you must be good at finding new questions.

Tips

history
From 《·》, alluding to Bo Le (伯乐), the legendary horse expert: trying to find a prized steed using only his illustrated horse manual. Originally mocking — rigid, unimaginative searching — now often neutral, meaning 'to trace by clues'.

Stroke Order

àn
suǒ