To search for a fine horse using only a picture
To follow clues to search for something; to be unable to change one's ways or adapt
Neutral
公安人员根据已有的线索，按图索骥，很快找到了那批被盗物资 | Gōng'ān rényuán gēnjù yǐ yǒu de xiànsuǒ, àntúsuǒjì, hěn kuài zhǎodào le nà pī bèi dào wùzī
The police followed the clues that they had and quickly found the stolen goods
[Source]
今天是我上班的头一天，边上的我只好按着人事部的图按图索骥去寻找自己所属的办公楼 | Jīntiān shì wǒ shàngbān de tóu yītiān, biān shàng de wǒ zhǐhǎo ànzhe rénshìbù de tú àntúsuǒjì qù xúnzhǎo zìjǐ suǒshǔ de bàngōng lóu
Today's my very first day of work, and in order to find the office, I have to follow the directions given to me by the human resources department
[Source]
None
按图索骏 (àn tú suǒ jùn)
None
《汉书》(Hàn Shū), a work documenting the history of the Western Han dynasty (西汉, Xī Hàn, 206 BC - 8 AD). It was written by 班固 (Bān Gù), and is generally known in English as the "Book of Han" or the "History of the Former Han."
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), there lived a man named 孙阳 (Sūn Yáng). According to legend, 孙阳 was China's finest appraiser of horses, and with just a glance he could tell whether a horse was good or not. He was so skilled that people even called him 伯乐 (Bó Lè), after the god of horses.
In order to pass on his great knowledge, 孙阳 once wrote a book, 《相马经》(Xiāng Mǎ Jīng). In it, he indicated that good horses "had tall foreheads, bright eyes, and large hooves."
One day, 孙阳's rather dull son went to find a good horse, and he took his father's book as a guide. He passed over several fine steeds, as they didn't match the image described in the book. Then he saw a toad, and he decided that it was an almost perfect match. He took the toad home and told his father that he'd found an excellent mount.
When 孙阳 saw the "horse" that his son had acquired, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and he replied, "I'm afraid this horse isn't suitable to ride, as it's too fond of jumping."