走马观花 — “To give a quick glance”
走马观花 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to give a quick glance”. To look at things cursorily; to make a hurried and superficial observation without paying close attention to details. Literally, “Look at flowers from a galloping horse”.
走马观花 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 走zǒu
- 马mǎ
- 观guān
- 花huā
走马观花 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 走马观花
Origin and Story of 走马观花
The idiom "走马观花" originated from a poem by Meng Jiao, a poet from the Tang Dynasty. In his youth, Meng Jiao lived a reclusive and simple life on Mount Song. Despite his mother's encouragement, he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations in the capital.
It wasn't until he was 41 years old that he finally passed and became a *jinshi*. Overwhelmed with joy, he wrote the famous lines: "No need to boast of my past humble days, today my unrestrained thoughts know no bounds. With the spring breeze, my horse gallops joyfully, in one day, I have seen all the flowers of Chang'an."
The line "一日看尽长安花" (in one day, seen all the flowers of Chang'an) vividly describes him triumphantly riding his horse, quickly glancing at all the beautiful flowers in the capital city. This initially conveyed a feeling of immense joy and triumph, where one is so elated that they quickly take in everything.
Later, the idiom "走马观花" evolved to metaphorically describe making a hurried and superficial observation of something without delving into details.
Idioms Related to 走马观花
Antonyms of 走马观花
More idioms starting with 走
- zǒu走xià下pō坡lù路to decline or deteriorate
- zǒu走wán丸nì逆bǎn坂pursue a goal counterproductively
- zǒu走wéi为shàng上zhāo着retreat is the best strategy
- zǒu走wéi为shàng上cè策Running away is the best strategy
- zǒu走wéi为shàng上jì计retreat is the best strategy
- zǒu走xiāng乡suí随xiāng乡When in Rome, do as the Romans do
- zǒu走le了hé和shang尚zǒu走bù不le了miào庙You can't escape your responsibilities
- zǒu走qīn亲fǎng访yǒu友visit relatives and friends
- zǒu走fú伏wú无dì地nowhere to hide
- zǒu走nán南chuǎng闯běi北travel extensively, experiencing many places
- zǒu走jí及bēn奔mǎ马run as fast as a galloping horse
- zǒu走hòu后mén门gain advantage through favoritism
Questions about 走马观花
- What does 走马观花 mean?
- 走马观花 (zǒu mǎ guān huā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to give a quick glance”.
- How do you pronounce 走马观花?
- 走马观花 is pronounced zǒu mǎ guān huā in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 走马观花 literally mean?
- Literally, 走马观花 means “Look at flowers from a galloping horse”. It is used to mean “to give a quick glance”.
- Where does 走马观花 come from?
- 走马观花 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 走马观花?
- 走马：骑着马跑。骑在奔跑的马上看花。原形容事情如意，心境愉快。后多指大略地观察一下。