Blindly following rules without adapting to circumstances.
📜 Origin
《韩非子》
💡 Detailed Explanation
"Zheng Ren Mai Lü" (A Man from Zheng Buying Shoes) comes from Han Feizi, Outer Congeries of Sayings, The Upper Left Series. It tells of a man from the State of Zheng who wanted to buy shoes. He first measured his foot and placed the measurement on his seat, but when he reached the market he forgot to bring it, so he went home to fetch it. By the time he returned, the market had already dispersed, and in the end he did not buy the shoes. When others asked him why he had not simply tried the shoes on with his own feet, he replied, "I would rather trust the measurement than trust myself." This idiom satirizes those who superstitiously cling to dogma and rigid rules without knowing how to adapt, emphasizing that one should proceed from reality and apply methods flexibly rather than being bound by ossified standards. It is often used to criticize behavior that sticks to convention and neglects practice, carrying a derogatory and satirical tone, and reminding people to avoid putting the cart before the horse and becoming detached from reality. Culturally, it reflects ancient China's emphasis on seeking truth from facts and on the wisdom of adaptability.
📝 Example
1. When making plans, we must take actual circumstances into account and not rigidly stick to theoretical data like the man from Zheng buying shoes, or we will miss good opportunities. (A metaphor for blindly believing in dogma and being inflexible.)
2. He always copies books when doing things and never adjusts according to the on-site situation. It is simply like the man from Zheng buying shoes, making people not know whether to laugh or cry. (Describes being rigidly bound by old methods and unrealistic.)