按图索骥

按圖索驥
àntú-suǒjì
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

HSK 4
Zuò yánjiū bùnéng zhǐ àntú-suǒjì, yào shànyú fāxiàn xīn wèntí.
Research can't just follow the manual - you must be good at finding new questions.
HSK 7-9
Jǐngfāng àntú-suǒjì, hěnkuài jiù zhǎodào le xiányírén.
The police followed the clues and quickly found the suspect.

Tips

history
From 汉书, 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