瞻予马首 — “To follow one's lead or command”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 瞻予马首?

看我马头，指听我的指挥，跟着行事

瞻予马首 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to follow one's lead or command”. To act according to another's direction. Literally, “Gaze at my horse's head”.

Frequency

瞻予马首 Pronunciation and Pinyin

瞻予马首 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
瞻	zhān	18	look up or forward
予	yǔ	4	to give or bestow
马	mǎ	3	horse, big, large
首	shǒu	9	head, first, leader

Example Sentence with 瞻予马首

在这个复杂的项目，为了确保大家方向一致，所有成员都需要瞻予马首，紧密配合。

In this complex project, to ensure everyone is moving in the same direction, all members need to follow my lead and cooperate closely.

Origin and Story of 瞻予马首

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Jing of Qin decisively defeated Duke Dao of Jin, a descendant of Duke Wen of Jin, the second hegemon.

To seek revenge, the state of Jin allied with 12 other states, including Qi, Lu, Wei, Zheng, and Cao, forming a coalition army to attack Qin.

The allied forces swiftly advanced to the north of Xianyang, the capital of Qin, where they encountered fierce resistance from the Qin army. Luan Yan, the commander of the Jin forces, instructed the allied troops to act according to the direction his horse's head pointed.

However, due to the individual selfish motives of the various allied states, the coalition ultimately suffered defeat.