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 釋 索：尋找，驥：好馬。按照畫像去尋求好馬，比喻按照綫索尋找，也比喻辦事機械、死板。
典故
春秋時，秦國有個名叫孫陽的人，善於鑒別馬的好壞，他把自己識馬的經驗寫成書，名為《相馬經》。這本書圖文並茂地介紹了各類好馬，所以人們把孫陽叫“伯樂”。孫陽的兒子熟讀了這本書後，以為自己學到了父親的本領，便拿着《相馬經》去找好馬。一天，他在路邊看見一隻癩蛤蟆，前額和《相馬經》上好馬的特徵相符，就以為找到了一匹千裏馬，馬上跑去告訴父親：“和你書上畫的好馬差不多，衹是蹄子不像。”孫陽聽後，哭笑不得，衹好回答說：“這馬太愛跳了，不好駕馭。”驥：好馬。這個成語比喻機械地照書本上的知識，不求事物的本質。
出 處 《漢書·梅福傳》：“今不循伯者之道，乃欲以三代選舉之法取當時之士，猶察伯樂之圖求騏驥於市，而不可得，變已明矣。”
[提示]
把癩蛤蟆誤認為千裏馬，這是寓言作者的誇張。但是，在學習和工作中，死背教條，生搬硬套，以致鬧出笑話，招致損失的事例，確實是經常見到的。前人傳下來的書本知識，應該努力學習，虛心繼承，但是，一定要註重實踐，在實踐中切實驗證、牢固掌握，並加以發展，這纔是正確的態度。”按圖索驥”這句成語現在既用來比喻辦事機械、死板，也用來比喻按照綫索尋找。後一種用法不含貶義。
[原文]
伯樂《相馬經》有“隆顙蛈日①，蹄如纍麴”之語②。其子執《馬經》以求馬，出見大蟾蜍③，謂其父曰：“得一馬，略與相同，但蹄不如纍麴爾！”伯樂知其子之愚，但轉怒為笑曰：“此馬好跳，不堪禦也④。” ——《藝林伐山》
[譯文]
伯樂《相馬經》中有“高高的額頭，眼睛鼓起，馬蹄像疊起來的酒藥餅子”之類的話。他的兒子，拿着父親寫的《相馬經》，到處找好馬。他按照書上所繪的圖形去找，發現有一隻癩蛤蟆很像書中寫的千裏馬的特徵，便高興地把癩蛤蟆帶回傢，對父親說：“我找到一匹千裏馬，衹是蹄子不像疊起來的酒藥餅子。”父親知道兒子愚笨，不生氣反而笑道：“這馬喜歡跳，不好駕馭。”
[註釋]
①伯樂——人名，相傳是古代的相馬專傢。隆顙（sǎng）——高高的額頭。蛈日——有人認為應該是“跌目”，眼睛鼓起的意思。
②纍麴（qū）——疊起來的酒藥餅子。麴，釀酒或製醬用的發酵物。
③蟾蜍（chánchú）——俗稱癩蛤蟆。
④堪——能夠，可以。禦（yù）——駕馭（yù），控製。
用 法 偏正式；作謂語、定語、狀語；含貶義，比喻按照綫索去尋求事物
示 例 我們要學習外國的先進經驗，但不可按圖索驥地搬用，那樣自然會得不償失。
近義詞 照本宣科、生搬硬套
反義詞 不落窠臼
燈 謎 悲鴻畫馬，伯樂來相
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）.
n.: look for a noble steed with the aidof its picture, lacking originality, look for sth.according to information at one's disposal, look for sth.by a plan chart, initiative or imagination in doing a job
