问牛知马 — “Ask about the cow, then you'll know the horse”
问牛知马 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to infer the truth of a matter by indirect inquiry or subtle observation; to deduce facts about one thing by asking about another related thing”. Literally, “Ask about the cow, then you'll know the horse”.
问牛知马 Pronunciation and Pinyin
问牛知马 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 问牛知马
Origin and Story of 问牛知马
During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Guanghan, the prefect of Yingchuan, was exceptionally intelligent and capable. He had a distinctive approach to managing local military and government affairs.
One day, he instructed his servant to go to the livestock market to purchase a horse. He told the servant to first inquire about the prices of dogs, sheep, and cattle, and only then to ask for the price of horses.
He explained that by comparing these prices, the servant would be able to buy the horse at a reasonable cost. The servant was greatly impressed by his wisdom.
Idioms Related to 问牛知马
Antonyms of 问牛知马
More idioms starting with 问
- wèn问yī一dá答shí十highly knowledgeable and articulate
- wèn问shí十dào道bǎi百very knowledgeable and articulate
- wèn问tiān天mǎi买guà卦seek divine guidance
- wèn问ān安shì视qǐn寝inquire about parents' well-being morning and night
- wèn问ān安shì视shàn膳daily filial devotion to parents
- wèn问guān官dá答huā花give an irrelevant answer
- wèn问hán寒wèn问nuǎn暖inquire about someone's well-being with meticulous care
- wèn问hán寒wèn问rè热inquire with deep concern
- wèn问qǐn寝shì视shàn膳diligently attend to parents' well-being
- wèn问xīn心wú无kuì愧to have a clear conscience
- wèn问xīn心yǒu有kuì愧to have a guilty conscience
- wèn问liǔ柳xún寻huā花visit brothels
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Open the tool →Questions about 问牛知马
What does 问牛知马 mean?
问牛知马 (wèn niú zhī mǎ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to infer the truth of a matter by indirect inquiry or subtle observation; to deduce facts about one thing by asking about another related thing”.
How do you pronounce 问牛知马?
问牛知马 is pronounced wèn niú zhī mǎ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 问牛知马 literally mean?
Literally, 问牛知马 means “Ask about the cow, then you'll know the horse”. It is used to mean “to infer the truth of a matter by indirect inquiry or subtle observation; to deduce facts about one thing by asking about another related thing”.
Where does 问牛知马 come from?
问牛知马 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 问牛知马?
比喻从旁推究，弄清楚事情真相。