look for a noble steed to correspond with the one drawn(àn tú suǒ jì)

look for a noble steed to correspond with the one drawn

According to the picture, suoji (phonetic: à NT ú Su à J à) is a formal idiom evolved from fable. Idioms come from the biography of Mei Fu in Hanshu and the felling of mountains in Yilin. They refer to looking for a good horse according to the picture. Originally, they refer to doing things rigidly and without flexibility (including derogatory meaning); later, they are mostly used in the positive, generally referring to looking for things according to certain clues. It is generally used as predicate, attribute and adverbial in sentences.

The origin of Idioms

① Ban Gu's Hanshu · biography of Mei Fu in the Eastern Han Dynasty: it's clear that we don't follow the way of Bo, but we want to choose the people of that time by the method of three generations' election. We can still observe the picture of Bo Le and seek the Qi and Ji in the City, but we can't get them. (2) Volume 7 of Yilin · felling mountain by Yang Shen of Ming Dynasty: "in Bole's Xiangma Jing, there is a saying that" the sun is strong and the hoof is like a tired tune ". His son holds the horse classic for a horse and sees a big toad. His father says:" a horse is slightly the same as a toad, but the hoof is not as good as a tired tune. " Bole knew that his son was stupid, but he turned his anger into a smile and said, "this horse is good at jumping and can't resist." The so-called "ask for a horse according to the picture" is also true

Idiom story

In the spring and Autumn period, there was a man named Sun Yang in the state of Qin who was good at matching horses. No matter what kind of horses, he could tell the good from the bad at a glance. He is often asked to identify and select horses. People call him Bole ("Bole" was originally the name of the stars in the sky and is said to be in charge of Tianma). In order to let more people learn how to match horses, so that the Qianli horse will not be buried, and also for his unique skills will not be lost, Sun Yang wrote a book with his years of experience and knowledge of matching horses, together with the shape map of various kinds of horses. The book is called "the Sutra of matching horses". Sun Yang has a son. He hopes he can be as good as his father. Sun Yang's son is very familiar with Xiangma Jing and thinks he has the ability to recognize horses. In Xiangma Jing, there is a saying that "the forehead is big, like the eyes as big as copper coins; the hooves are big and upright, like the stacked pieces". He went out and saw a big toad. "This guy's forehead is bulging, his eyes are big and bright, isn't it a thousand li horse?" he was very happy, took the toad home, and said to his father, "Dad, I found a thousand li horse, but the hoof is a little worse." The father looked at it and said humorously, "it's a pity that this horse likes to jump. It can't be used to pull the cart."

The meaning of Idioms

Sun Yang's son mistook toad for Qianlima when he was looking for Qianlima. This is the exaggeration of the fable writer. However, in the course of study and work, it is quite common to see cases of stubbornly following dogmas and mechanically copying them, resulting in making jokes and causing losses. There are two meanings of "follow the map to seek the best". One is the metaphor of looking for things according to clues. It shows that people should follow certain clues to find things and explore the unknown, from the known to explore the unknown; the development of things also changes on the chain of cause and effect, so we can find and see the "result" according to the "cause", which is a common method in practice. The other is the metaphor of sticking to dogma. This shows from another aspect that if people are too rigidly bound to "details", "clues" and "known" when looking for and exploring the unknown, their thinking is difficult to surpass and break through, and they will fall into the mode of linear logic and dogmatism, which is also a mistake that people are prone to make. For example, Yuan Jue's poem "shicongziying" in the Yuan Dynasty said: "if you want to lead a turtle through bamboo, it's hard to follow a picture to find a horse." This reveals an important way of thinking. The existence of things is complex, three-dimensional and dynamic. In order to understand things, we must understand the flexibility of knowledge through practice, grasp the essential characteristics of things through appearances, and not copy things mechanically and rigidly. We should broaden our horizons and look for and explore things in three-dimensional and dynamic, so as to avoid rigidity and dogmatism.

Use of Idioms

< UL > < li > written usage < / Li > < / UL > "seek a good horse according to the picture" originally means to seek a good horse according to the image, but later means to do things according to the established law, not flexible, with a derogatory meaning. It is also used to find people or things according to clues, neutral. Generally used as predicate, attribute and adverbial. Suo: look for, look for. Horse, good horse. In Song Zhoumi's the sequel of GUI Xin's miscellaneous knowledge, Shen Guanren selling the que: "although Xu is in charge of the que book, he can only follow the picture." "Every time you see a group of people who follow the chart, they are often lost in the Li Huang mu. Gou is not a person who is determined by his spirit, so he may not be able to create a micro one." In Zhang Xuan's doubting the truth of the Buddhist scriptures, it is said that "the language of Buddhist scriptures may not all come from Buddhism, but what's the difference between using the language of Buddhist Scriptures as Buddhism and learning from the picture?" Sun Li's on the moon in the mirror: "some readers don't know what it means, and they often follow the picture, which is close to vulgar sociology." In Song Zhoumi's collection of Guixin's miscellaneous knowledge, Xiang's calligraphy and painting, Jia Daxi said, "because he sent Liu to lure him to make a fortune, he asked for a horse according to his pictures. All the more than 100 products are the products of the Six Dynasties." According to Zheng Guanying's "admonishment of the customs in a prosperous age", if the traitors are the first culprits, there will be no shortage of them in Shanghai. Those who have made foreign money can follow the plan and have nothing to lose. " Fang Zhi's the traitor: "they tried Yan Jiazhong according to the plan, captured John Cao, and then returned to find Tian Yutang." Guo Moruo's "a visit to the Soviet Union on July 22": "this secret was revealed in the noble's letter to his beloved concubine. There are two jewel boxes hidden in the walls of the bathroom, and one on the top of a wooden cabinet. If you follow the plan, you will get everything. "

Analysis of Idioms

The original meaning of "step by step" is to choose words and sentences according to the needs of the layout of the article. There are two extended meanings: (1) there is a certain order in learning; (2) there is a lack of innovative spirit in doing things according to the old rules. There are two meanings of "follow a picture to find a way": one is to act according to rules or dogma; the other is to search for things according to clues. There is a clear difference between the meaning of "follow the map to seek a way" (2) and that of "follow the steps" (1). The meaning of "follow one's plan to find a way" and the meaning of "follow one's step by step" both mean to act according to the old rules, but there are differences. First, the meaning is different. The semantic meaning of "follow the map to find the way" is heavy, while the semantic meaning of "step by step" is light. Second, the usage is different. "Follow the plan" often means sarcasm, while "step by step" does not. Third, the style and color are different. "Follow the map" is often used in written language; "step by step" is often used in spoken and written language.

Chinese PinYin : àn tú suǒ jì