stick slavishly to convention
To draw a circle according to a plan is a Chinese idiom. Pinyin is n ǐ Gu ī Hu à Yu á n, which means to draw a circle according to a compass. It's like following the old rules and not knowing how to adapt.
The idiom is used as predicate and attributive; it refers to sticking to the rules examples he often draws a circle without flexibility.
Chinese PinYin : nǐ guī huà yuán
stick slavishly to convention
the path winds along mountain ridges. fēng huí lù zhuǎn
Take advantage of the opportunity to rob. chéng jī dǎ jié
more than a match for ten thousand men. wàn fū mò dāng
draw from one to make good the deficits of another. yì bǐ zhù zī
Ten years of trees, a hundred years of people. shí nián shù mù,bǎi nián shù rén