"An tu suo ji" (looking for a steed according to its picture) originally meant seeking a good horse by following its portrait. It comes from the Book of Han, Biography of Mei Fu: "Now, without following the way of the hegemon, one wishes to select men of the present age by the method of official selection used in the three dynasties. It is like examining Bo Le's picture and seeking a fine steed in the marketplace, and being unable to obtain one; this is also already clear." Later, it came to mean looking for something according to clues, and it also satirizes rigid adherence to established methods and lack of adaptability. The idiom's emotional coloring is neutral with a leaning toward the derogatory, and in specific contexts it can be either commendatory or derogatory: in a commendatory sense, it emphasizes having rules to follow and evidence to rely on; in a derogatory sense, it refers to mechanical copying and rigid dogmatism. In terms of cultural background, it reflects the importance attached in ancient China to the art of judging horses, as well as the tradition of the allusion "Bo Le judging horses." It is used in a wide range of scenarios, both for finding people and things and for criticizing dogmatism. Its deeper meaning lies in reminding people that although clues are important, they must also be applied flexibly in light of actual conditions, and one must not blindly trust diagrams or experience.
📝 Example
1. Based on the surveillance footage, the police followed the clues to track down the suspect and quickly found the suspect's hiding place.
2. When learning from foreign experience, we must integrate it with our own national conditions and not just follow the map mechanically or copy things rigidly.