按图索骥②

　　拼 音 àn tú suǒ jì
　　英 文 look for a noble steed with the aid of its picture 'look for something according to information at one's disposal
　　解 释 索：寻找，骥：好马。按照去寻求好，比喻按照线索寻找，也比喻办事机械、死板。
　　典故
　　时，有个名叫孙阳的人，善于鉴别马的好坏，他把自己识马的经验写成书，名为《相马经》。这本书图文并茂地介绍了各类好马，所以人们把孙阳叫“伯乐”。孙阳的儿子熟读了这本书后，以为自己学到了父亲的本领，便拿着《相马经》去找好马。一天，他在路便看见一只癞蛤蟆，前额和《相马经》上好马的特征相符，就以为找到了一匹千里马，马上跑去告诉父亲：“和你书上画的好马差不多，只是蹄子不像。”孙阳听后，哭笑不得，只好回答说：“这马太爱跳了，不好驾驭。”骥：好马。这个成语比喻机械地照书本上的知识，不求事物的本质。
　　出 处 《·梅福传》：“今不循伯者之道，乃欲以三代选举之法取当时之士，犹察伯乐之图求骐骥于市，而不可得，变已明矣。”
　　[提示]
　　把癞蛤蟆误认为千里马，这是寓言作者的夸张。但是，在学习和工作中，死背教条，生搬硬套，以致闹出笑话，招致损失的事例，确实是经常见到的。前人传下来的书本知识，应该努力学习，虚心继承，但是，一定要注重实践，在实践中切实验证、牢固掌握，并加以发展，这才是正确的态度。”按图索骥”这句成语现在既用来比喻办事机械、死板，也用来比喻按照线索寻找。后一种用法不含贬义。
　　[原文]
　　伯乐《相马经》有“隆颡蛈日①，蹄如累麴”之语②。其子执《马经》以求马，出见大蟾蜍③，谓其父曰：“得一马，略与相同，但蹄不如累麴尔！”伯乐知其子之愚，但转怒为笑曰：“此马好跳，不堪御也④。” ——《艺林伐山》
　　[译文]
　　伯乐《相马经》中有“高高的额头，眼睛鼓起，马蹄像叠起来的酒药饼子”之类的话。他的儿子，拿着父亲写的《相马经》，到处找好马。他按照书上所绘的图形去找，发现有一只癞蛤蟆很像书中写的千里马的特征，便高兴地把癞蛤蟆带回家，对父亲说：“我找到一匹千里马，只是蹄子不像叠起来的酒药饼子。”父亲知道儿子愚笨，不生气反而笑道：“这马喜欢跳，不好驾驭。”
　　[注释]
　　①伯乐——人名，相传是古代的相马专家。隆颡（sǎng）——高高的额头。蛈日——有人认为应该是“跌目”，眼睛鼓起的意思。
　　②累麴（qū）——叠起来的酒药饼子。麴，酿酒或制酱用的发酵物。
　　③蟾蜍（chánchú）——俗称癞蛤蟆。
　　④堪——能够，可以。御（yù）——驾驭（yù），控制。
　　用 法 偏正式；作、、；含贬义，比喻按照线索去寻求事物
　　示 例 我们要学习外国的先进经验，但不可按图索骥地搬用，那样自然会得不偿失。
　　近义词 、
　　反义词
　　灯 谜 悲鸿画马，来相
　　Looking for a Steed with the Aid Of Its Picture
　　During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man in the State of Qin whose name was Sun Yang. Sun Yang was very expert in looking at horses and judging their worth. Whatever the horse might be, he could tell whether it was good or bad at first sight. People called him Bo Le (Bo Le was the name of one of the celestial bodies and was fabled to be in charge of heavenly steeds), and he was often asked to appraise and select horses.
　　One day, when Sun Yang was passing a place, an old horse pulling acart loaded with salt suddenly neighed to him without stopping. He came near, and saw that it was a horse that really could cover a thousand Li a day, and that the only problem with it was that it was a little too old. The old horse was pulling the heavy cart with difficulties and hardships. Sun Yang felt acutely that the horse was really unjustly treated, for it might have been a fine steed galloping on the battlefield. It was a great pity that it was pulling the cart loaded with salt without attracting public attention, which had taken the edge off its spirit and consumed its energy. When he thought of this, he was so grieved that he shed tears.
　　In order to help more people learn how to appraise horses so that fine horses which could cover a thousand LI a day would no longer fall into oblivion, and also in order to ensure that his unique skill in judging horses would not be lost, Sun Yang worte a book entitled The Art of Looking at Horses and Judging Their Worth, based on his experiences and knowledge accumulated over the years. The book was also illustrated with the pictures of various horses.
　　Sun Yang had a son who, after reading his father's The Art of Looking at Horses and Judging Their Worth, thought it was very esay to appraise horses. So he took the book with him to look for fine horses everywhere. At first he searched according to the pictures in the book, and accomplished nothing. Then he searched according to the characteristics of a toad fit very well the characteristics described in the book. So he happily took the toad back home, and said to his father, 'Father, I have found a horse that can cover a thousand Li a day, only its hoofs are not good enough.' Looking at the toad, Sun Yang did not know whether he should laugh or cry. Knowing that his son was stupid, Sun Yang said humourously. 'It's a pity that this horse is too fond of jumping to pull a cart.' Then he sighed, 'That is just what we call looking for a steed with the aid of its picture.'
　　Later, people have used the set phrase 'look for a steed with the aid of its picture' to refer to handling affairs mechanically in the outmoded ways without being flexible. Somethimes it is also used to refer to trying to locate something by following up a clue. This set phrase originates in Lumbering in the Forest of Art written by Yang Shen in the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）.