Chinese idiom: 老马识途

"Chengyus" are a type of traditional Chinese idioms which consists of four characters. They were commonly used in ancient Chinese literature and are still widely used in spoken Chinese. Though only four characters, Chengyus often have a deep meaning behind them and is interwoven with the moral concepts from classical Chinese mythology. If you're ever looking to get a complex point across quickly, then there's no better way than four characters Chengyu in Chinese!

老马识途 (lǎo mǎ shí tú)

Meaning of Individual Characters in "老马识途"

老 – old
马 – horse
识 – to know, knowledge
途 – route, road

The Myth Behind "老马识途"

This originates from an ancient story. During the spring and autumn period, duke Huan of the Qi state led his troops to attack the Guzhu kingdom. They left in spring and when they came back it was already winter.

Therefore, they lost on their way back. Then someone in the troops suggested to place an old horse in front of the troops to guide the way. Finally they managed to reach home by following the old horse.

The moral is that experienced people can do things better than those who are not.

Meaning of the Chengyu "老马识途"

– An old horse knows the way
– An experienced worker knows what to do
– Praising a person who has a lot of experiences

How to use "老马识途" in a sentence?

我懂得老马识途的道理， 所以我愿意向有经验的老同志学习。
I understand the true meaning of "An old horse knows the way", and thus I'm willing to learn from my senior comrades who have more experience.
Wǒ dǒng dé lǎo mǎ shí tú de dào lǐ, suǒ yǐ wǒ yuàn yì xiàng yǒu jīng yàn de lǎo tóng zhì xué xí

来源：China Whisper
编辑：万月英