走马观花

走馬觀花

zǒumǎ-guānhuā

idiom #58,111

Meanings

1 to glance at flowers from horseback
2 to make a cursory inspection
3 a fleeting, superficial look

Characters

to go; to ride (horse)

to observe; to view

Examples

HSK 3

这次旅游时间太短，我们只能走马观花。

Zhè cì lǚyóu shíjiān tài duǎn, wǒmen zhǐnéng zǒumǎguānhuā.

The trip was too short - we could only take a hurried, superficial look.

HSK 6

做研究不能走马观花，要深入细致。

Zuò yánjiū bù néng zǒumǎguānhuā, yào shēnrù xìzhì.

Research can't be done with a passing glance - you need to go deep into the details.

Tips

history

From Meng Jiao's Tang-dynasty poem 《登科后》: 春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花 - 'spring breeze, proud hoofbeats, in one day I see all the flowers of Chang'an.' Originally a celebration of passing the imperial exam; over time, 走马观花 lost its triumphant flavor and now just means a shallow, rushed look.

mistakes

Frequently confused with 走马看花 (same meaning, variant form) and with 浮光掠影 (also 'superficial glance'). All three are near-synonyms; 走马观花 is the most common in modern usage.

Stroke Order

走 zǒu

马 mǎ

观 guān

花 huā