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<\/a>Not quite a noble steed...<\/p><\/div>\n
Once upon a time, in the Spring and Autumn Period<\/strong> (\u6625\u79cb\u65f6\u671f – ch\u016bn qi\u016b sh\u00ed q\u00ed) (770-476 BC), there lived a man named Sun Yang<\/strong> (\u5b59\u9633 – s\u016bn y\u00e1ng). He was an expert at judging horses<\/strong> (\u76f8\u9a6c\u5927\u5e08 – xi\u0101ng m\u01ce d\u00e0 sh\u012b), and he wrote a book on the subject. People even called him Bole<\/strong> (\u4f2f\u4e50 – B\u00f3 l\u00e8), the name of a celestial being that was said to be in charge of heavenly steeds. One day, his son decided to go out in search of a great steed. However, the boy had never actually seen a horse, so he just relied on the book. The boy was thrilled to find a creature with a protruding forehead, two bulging eyes, and four big hoofs – “It must be a great steed!,” he thought. Full of pride, he took the creature back to show his father. The boy said, “Dad, I’ve found a good horse, except that his hooves are not good enough<\/strong>” (\u7238\u7238\uff0c\u6211\u627e\u5230\u4e86\u4e00\u5339\u597d\u9a6c\uff0c\u53ea\u662f\u8e44\u5b50\u7a0d\u5dee\u4e9b – b\u00e0 ba, w\u01d2 zh\u01ceo d\u00e0o le y\u012b p\u01d0 h\u01ceo m\u01ce, zh\u01d0 sh\u00ec t\u00ed zi sh\u0101o ch\u00e0 xi\u0113). Sun Yang was unsure whether to laugh or cry, as his boy had brought home a toad<\/strong> (\u86e4\u87c6 – h\u00e1 ma). Sun Yang told him, “Son, this horse is not bad, but it likes jumping too much, and you can’t ride it!<\/strong>” (\u513f\u5b50\uff0c\u8fd9\u9a6c\u4e0d\u9519\uff0c\u5c31\u662f\u592a\u559c\u6b22\u8df3\u4e86\uff0c\u6ca1\u6cd5\u9a91 – \u00e9r zi, zh\u00e8 m\u01ce b\u00f9 cu\u00f2, ji\u00f9 sh\u00ec t\u00e0i x\u01d0 huan ti\u00e0o le, m\u00e9i f\u01ce q\u00ed).<\/p>\nMeaning<\/em>: To adopt a mechanical approach that is inflexible; doing things strictly by the book.<\/p>\nUsage<\/em>: It can be used ironically to describe a person who is inexperienced and follows everything by the book, or it can be used in a neutral way to describe someone who looks for something through clues.<\/p>\n