按圖索驥

àntúsuǒjì

look for a steed with the aid of its picture—try to find something by following up a clue, look for a steed with the aid of its picture—deal with (or handle) a matter in a mechanical way

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àn tú suǒ jì

v. try to locate something

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an4 tu2 suo3 ji4

lit. looking for a fine horse using only a picture (idiom), to do things along rigid, conventional lines, to try and find smth with the help of a clue

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按圖索驥|按图索骥 [àn tú suǒ jì] ► lit. looking for a fine horse using only a picture (idiom) ► fig. to do things along rigid, conventional lines ► to try and find sth with the help of a clue